When Stephen Colbert stepped out on stage to deliver his Late Show monologue Tuesday night, news had just broken that FBI Director James Comey had been fired by President Donald Trump. By Wednesday evening, the host was ready to tackle the story that has rocked the nation.
Colbert described Comey’s firing as “historically unprecedented, with one possible exception,” before playing a montage of pundits comparing Trump’s actions to President Richard Nixon’s Saturday night massacre at the height of the Watergate scandal.
“Yes, listen closely children, and you can hear the echoes of Watergate: ‘I am not a crook, -ook, -ook, -ook, -ook,’” Colbert said.
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Tonight! For some reason, Trump thought firing James Comey would score him points on both sides of the aisle. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/NNBIgllpTK
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) May 11, 2017
“Hey, you know who else was shocked?” Colbert asked. “Donald Trump. Because both sides of the aisle have been mad at Comey over the years, White House officials believed Comey’s firing would be a win-win.”
“Why would Trump think this is win-win?” he asked. “Even his election was lose-win.” When he didn’t get the laugh he wanted, Colbert added, “Because he didn’t get the majority vote.”
“Now, the president knows eventually all of his critics will come around,” Colbert continued, quoting a Trump tweet that predicted both sides would be “thanking” him for firing Comey soon enough. “Alright, how should we thank him? We should get him something special. How about a special prosecutor?”
