Comedian Jon Stewart found himself angrily shouting at alt-right provocateur Jack Posobiec on Monday for acting in bad faith and trolling him, only to eventually shake the prominent Pizzagate conspiracist’s hand and claim the two found common ground over veterans’ health-care issues.
Over the past few days, Stewart has been passionately advocating for Congress to pass the Honoring Our PACT Act, which would provide health benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxins from burn pits. The former Daily Show host has specifically taken aim at Senate Republicans for blocking the bill they just voted for weeks earlier, calling out the GOP’s “fuckery” and “bullshit” excuses for suddenly opposing the legislation due to a “budgetary gimmick.”
With the Senate scheduled to vote on the bill again this week, Stewart joined veterans and advocacy groups Monday on Capitol Hill to continue whipping up support for the stalled legislation. At one point, Stewart even jokingly assured skeptical conservatives that they didn’t need to just take his word when it came to supporting the bill.
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“I get it. I’m a liberal piece of shit,” he quipped. “I get it. I know what I am. I’m Hunter Biden’s cocaine dealer! I get it. I’m more gay pride flag than man. I get it. But the VFW isn’t, and the American Legion isn’t…and the Wounded Warriors Project isn’t.”
Somewhere along the way, however, Stewart lost his cool during a confrontation with Posobiec and fellow right-wing troll Raheem Kassam, both of whom have been close associates of ex-Trump strategist and far-right podcaster Steve Bannon.
Based on the short clips posted to social media by Kassam, it is unclear what kicked off the argument between Stewart and Posobiec. At one point, though, an incensed Stewart calls Posobiec a “fucking troll” (accurate) who is not acting “in good faith” (typically true as well). In other videos, the comic is seen shouting at both the former One America News host and Kassam, presumably about the legislation and why it was stalled in the Senate.
“I hope this is good for your brand,” Kassam claimed Stewart said to him at one point after their confrontation.
Stewart, however, apparently calmed down afterwards and decided to film an apologetic short video with Posobiec that the right-wing operative then posted to his Twitter account.
“This is Jack Posobiec. I’m here with Tim Jensen of GruntStyle and... Jon Stewart is also here. Jon Stewart and I have decided to come to an agreement. Have we not?” Posobiec stated in the clip.
“Yes, sir,” a contrite Stewart responded. “I lost my temper a little bit. I felt like I was being trolled, and I realized that the important thing is we just gotta get this done for these guys and get them over the finish line to get the health care they need.”
Posobiec then claimed that the two were nearly in full agreement about the bill, prompting Stewart to say that was a fair assessment. The video then ends with the pair shaking hands.
Besides helping lead the “Stop the Steal” campaign, Posobiec is notorious for peddling disinformation and has knowingly collaborated with white nationalists, extremist groups, and neo-Nazis.
Posobiec, who left struggling pro-Trump network OAN last year for conservative student group Turning Point USA, has also infamously promoted the Pizzagate and Seth Rich conspiracy theories in the past.
