Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) "was one of [President] Trump's earliest backers, and Trump's repaid that loyalty," sometimes with a gratuitous insult thrown in, Seth Meyers said on Wednesday's Late Night. "If there's anyone who represents the modern Republican Party, the kind of guy who has fully and completely embraced the Trump era and draining the swamp, it's Chris Collins." That was the setup for the revelation that the FBI arrested and federal prosecutors indicted Collins on insider-trading and wire fraud charges Wednesday. "That's right, a sitting member of Congress has been charged for insider trading," he said. "It there anyone close to Trump who hasn't been charged with a crime?"
Meyers explained the charges, stemming from Collins sitting on the board of a biotech company, "which right off the bat is insane. A sitting member of Congress should not be on the board of a publicly traded company. That's like finding out an NFL referee is a part-owner of the Patriots — which I wouldn't be surprised to hear!"
The "crazy thing" is that Collins committed his alleged crime from the lawn of the White House, during a picnic, Stephen Colbert said at The Late Show. "In fact, and this is true, CBS News has exclusive footage of Collins on the phone at the picnic," presumably calling his son to urge him to dump shares, he said, and "The Late Show has acquired the audio," which he played. (Spoiler: It's fake.) Collins tried to call his son 15 seconds after learning the stock would tank but didn't get through until six calls and five minutes later. "If you want to conspire with your millennial children, you don't call, you text," Colbert said, and he had a suggested text message at the ready. Watch below. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
