On Thursday, late night comedian Stephen Colbert said everything he'd read about President Donald Trump so far confirmed his suspicions that sometimes you really can judge a book "by its orange leathery cover."
"For almost three years now I've had to read all of Trump's tweets. All of his staff's indictments. 127 tell-all books. And none of them told us anything we didn't already know from just looking at the guy," the comic joked.
Many had hoped special counsel Robert Mueller's report on allegations of coordination between Russia and Trump's campaign would reveal any secrets the president was hiding. But, Colbert said: "Instead we had to take the word of attorney general and dad-watching-the-neighbors-install-a-more-impressive-bird-bath Bill Barr."
Colbert expressed his disappointment with Barr's three-and-a-half page summary of the nearly-400 page Mueller report. Barr said Mueller found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and added the report came to no conclusion with regards to allegations the president obstructed justice.
Colbert said reading the attorney general's letter was "like tuning in to see the new season of Game of Thrones and it's just Barr holding a sign that says 'Dragons did some stuff. The end.'"
Praising the House Judiciary Committee, who on Wednesday voted to permit a subpoena for Mueller's entire report, Colbert quipped: "You know what that means, folks. It's time for us to get our hopes up again. Maybe the full report will show up to our school play."
The comic then poked fun at recent claims of dissatisfaction among the Mueller team. On Wednesday, The New York Times reported some investigators felt Barr's letter left out "troubling" information about Trump. The Washington Post also reported frustration among some of the team over the "limited" information shared in the attorney general's four-page letter.
One anonymous source told The Post : "[Mueller's report] was much more acute than Barr suggested." An unnamed U.S. official added: "There was immediate displeasure from the team when they saw how the attorney general had characterized their work instead."
Colbert told The Late Show audience: "Last night The New York Times revealed that some investigators on Mueller's team say the Mueller report was more damaging to Trump than Barr revealed. That was in The New York Times . It was also the cover story for 'No Duh! magazine.'"
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Hignett is a reporter based in London. She currently covers current affairs, health and science. Prior to joining Newsweek ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
