John Oliver began Sunday’s Last Week Tonight with the biggest story of the week, which he acknowledged concerns President Trump: “Two words that continue to sound revolting together, like ‘Viscous Discharge’ or ‘Moist Stockings’.”
Trump made news Tuesday with his startling decision to sack FBI Director James Comey, as Comey was overseeing a probe into whether people involved with the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians in their election meddling.
“Surprise, everyone!” Oliver shrieked, adding, “Do you remember normal weeks? Because I don’t!”
Everything about Comey’s firing was unusual, Oliver noted, from Comey having found out about it on TV, to the “genuinely weird” termination letter. In it, Trump wrote in part: “While I greatly appreciate your informing me on three separate occasions I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the department of justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau.”
“It is inherently suspicious to try to put words in Comey’s mouth as you kick him out the door,” Oliver insisted.
Trump’s White House first said Trump was following the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who had been in office two weeks, as well as acting on behalf of a demoralized FBI. But Trump himself blew up that narrative Thursday, when told Lester Holt he had intended to fire Comey for some time.
“Trump is so desperate to appear dominant, he will rush to take the credit for anything, no matter how bad it is,” Oliver snarked. “If you wanted him to confess to murder all a lawyer would have to say is, ‘Your honor, the killer could not possibly have been Donald Trump, it must have been someone much stronger, and smarter, which a much hotter daughter’.”
Trump also indicated one reason why he sacked Comey, telling Holt, “When I decided to do it, I said to myself, ‘This Russia thing, with Trump and Russia, is a made up story. It’s an excuse, by the Democrats, for having lost an election.’ “
“What are you doing?!” Oliver fulminated. “‘I was thinking of the Russia investigation when I fired Comey’ is the one thing that you are not supposed to say out loud!”
Oliver called bullshit on Trump’s description to Holt of the three times he alleges Comey assured him he was not under investigation, noting Comey’s version, as told to various news outlets by sources, is more plausible: that Trump asked Comey to pledge his loyalty to Trump multiple times, which he declined to do, instead telling Trump he always would be honest.
Capping the week, on Friday Trump threatened the man he fired as FBI director, tweeting, “James Comey better hope there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press.”
Trump has “made it very clear he fired director of the FBI at least partially due to unhappiness with the bureau’s investigation into his campaign’s possible collusion with Russia,” Oliver said, calling his tweet “a borderline obstruction of justice, and the meaningless ratings of a confused old idiot.”
Oliver demanded that Congress get involved. “The Founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances to limit the power of the President, but it only works if someone f*cking checks, or balances,” Oliver said, warning members of Congress, “and if you don’t , it’s no longer on Trump. It’s on you.”
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