Late night hosts puzzle out Trump's 7-hour Jan. 6 call gap, burner phones, and Cawthorn's GOP orgy mess
The Jan. 6 committee is "closing in" on former President Donald Trump, and they seem to have found "a poorly executed cover-up," with seven hours and 37 minutes of Trump's phone records missing from the period on Jan. 6 when Trump supporters were storming the Capitol and we know Trump called GOP lawmakers, Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday's Late Show. The House committee is investigating whether Trump used "burner phones" in that period, and Colbert seemed unimpressed with Trump's denial he's ever heard that term.
Also in Washington, Rep. Madison Cawthorn's (R-N.C.) "claims of cocaine-fueled fiscally conservative flesh pits ruffled a few Republican feathers — which Cawthorn says they use to decorate their Eyes Wide Shut masks," Colbert joked. "I can understand why they're upset: By not naming names, Cawthorn has implicated the entire GOP. I mean, the guy with the orgy and cocaine could be any Matt Gaetz."
"The unintentional consequence of all of this is to make orgies and cocaine sound incredibly uncool," James Corden said on The Late Late Show. "After a Republican meeting today, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that he's going to have some tough questions for Cawthorn — questions like, 'Where are these parties, exactly? Do you take anything with you?'"
Subscribe to 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.
Reports that Trump used disposable burner phones on Jan. 6 "raised a lot of questions, so the former president released an official statement last night — to announce that he made a hole in one while playing golf," Corden said. "It was a more-than-200-word statement, on official Donald Trump letterhead."
With his totally real hole-in-one description, Trump "finally went North Korean dictator on us, but I'm okay with it — even if it isn't true, these are the kind of Trump lies we can handle," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. The seven-hour gap in Trump's Jan. 6 phone records are not.
Despite Trump's denials, "his former national security advisers, John Bolton, today revealed that he and Trump have spoken about how people use burner phones to to avoid having their calls scrutinized," Kimmel said. "Whenever Trump doesn't know something, he claims to know everything about it," but "when it comes to things he might get in trouble for, all of a sudden he's like, 'Hey, burner phones? I never heard of them. Hookers? What are those?'"
"Yep, seven hours are missing — even the ghost of Richard Nixon is like, 'I don't think you can do that,'" Jimmy Fallon joked on The Tonight Show.
The Late Show did figure out one of Trump's unidentified call recipients, at least.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Unprepared for a pandemic
Opinion What happens if bird flu evolves to spread among humans?
By William Falk Published
-
6 impressive homes in Toronto
Feature Featuring floating stairs in Lytton Park and a two-tiered infinity pool in Banbury-Don Mills
By The Week Staff Published
-
Samantha Harvey's 6 favorite books that redefine how we see the world
Feature The Booker Prize-winning author recommends works by Marilynne Robinson, George Eliot, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Ukraine captures first North Korean soldiers
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted videos of the men captured in Russia's Kursk region
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Lebanon selects president after 2-year impasse
Speed Read The country's parliament elected Gen. Joseph Aoun as its next leader
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US accuses Sudan rebels of genocide, sanctions chief
Speed Read Sudan has been engaged in a bloody civil war that erupted in 2023
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine goes on offense in Russia's Kursk region
Speed Read A top adviser to President Zelenskyy said "the Russians are getting what they deserve"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cuts off Russian gas pipeline to Europe
Speed Read Ukraine has halted the transport of Russian gas to Europe after a key deal with Moscow expired
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Was Jimmy Carter America's best ex-president?
Today's Big Question Carter's presidency was marred by the Iran hostage crisis, but his work in the decades after leaving office won him global acclaim
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
What will happen in 2025? Predictions and events
The Explainer The new year could bring further chaos in the Middle East and an intensifying AI arms race – all under the shadow of a second Donald Trump presidency
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
People of the year 2024
In the Spotlight Remember the people who hit the headlines this year?
By The Week UK Published