Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers say 'Schiff just got real' with the Trump impeachment transcripts
President Trump is now officially a Floridian. "Good riddance, Don," Stephen Colbert said on Monday's Late Show. "Just so we're clear: Trump is leaving because of a tax problem he created. New York state and local taxes went up because of the tax bill that Trump signed into law in 2017. Yeah, it's the old fart-in-the-elevator-then-take-the-stairs tactic."
Meanwhile, Republicans are finding it "harder to defend Trump in the impeachment inquiry," Colbert said. "Up till now the GOP's main argument has been that the process has been secretive and unfair, but today the head of the impeachment inquiry, Adam Schiff, started releasing transcripts of the closed-door testimony. Oh, Schiff just got real."
Monday's "most stunning testimony came from former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who back in May was recalled from her post following political attacks by right-wing media figures," Colbert said. According to Yovanovitch, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Fox News host Sean Hannity for advice about her, and Gordon Sondland, a Trump donor appointed ambassador to the European Union, gave Yovanovitch advice to save her job: Tweet support for Trump. She didn't, Colbert noted. "So faced with losing her career or saying one nice thing about Donald Trump, she said, 'Anybody got any boxes?'"
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"Trump's defenders are backed into a corner, so a growing number of GOP senators are considering acknowledging Trump's quid pro quo on Ukraine," Colbert said. "The Republicans are so desperate, they're considering telling the truth."
"Trump and Republicans keep changing their defense because they don't have one," Seth Meyers said at Late Night. "Democrats have now passed a formal impeachment resolution and they're releasing transcripts of damning witness testimony." Still, all four witnesses scheduled for depositions Monday refused to show up, and the stonewalling is expected to continue all week, he noted. "They're just refusing to show up now. How long before Trump tries that tactic? The day he gets impeached he'll probably be holed up in his bedroom, hiding under a pillow fort. 'You can't impeach me if you can't find me!'" Watch below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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