Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel find creative ways to hear John Bolton's testimony


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is confident he has the votes to block any witnesses from testifying in President Trump's impeachment trial, "but here's the thing: 75 percent of Americans support calling witnesses in this trial," Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show. The would-be star witness is former National Security Adviser John Bolton, whose forthcoming book reportedly details a first-hand account of Trump saying he was withholding $400 million in Ukraine military aid to force investigations of Democratic rivals — "a shocking revelation of something we've all known for months," Colbert said.
Still, if he did testify, nobody knows what Bolton would even say, Colbert noted, so he had him (or at least Dana Carvey in a fake mustache) on "via live satellite" to ask. Carvey's Bolton had a lot to say, very energetically.
Yes, "Capt. Cover-up Mitch McConnell is hoping to have it all wrapped up by tomorrow," after having "done everything he can to kill this," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. He ran through the reasons Senate Republicans say they are disinclined to call witnesses, mocking the idea that depositions would keep the Senate from working on other business. "Blockbuster Video has done more business than the Senate in the last three years," Kimmel said. He illustrated why Bolton would make such a bombshell witness with a highlight real of Republicans saying "hearsay," though "now they don't want to hear what he has to say."
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.
"Eventually, we are going to hear from John Bolton, when his book comes out in March and he goes on TV to promote it," Kimmel said. "And not only is he releasing that book, he's also written a book for kids," which Kimmel read. You can hear the dulcet rhymes of Bushy Bolton's Bombshell below. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Hospital league tables: how does the new ranking system work?
The Explainer NHS trusts are now ranked according to six performance indicators, with leaders of low-performing facilities facing penalties
-
Quiz of The Week: 6 – 12 September
Quiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The week’s best photos
In Pictures A palace on fire, a shopping cart protest, and more
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed 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 ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed 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 view
Speed 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 talk
Speed 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 proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play