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Michael Cohen’s testimony gets a closer look from Seth Meyers

By Matt Moore

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill February 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. Last year Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine for tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, unlawful excessive campaign contributions and lying to Congress as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill February 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. Last year Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine for tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, unlawful excessive campaign contributions and lying to Congress as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) /
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The testimony from President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen was the subject of Late Night with Seth Meyers’ latest A Closer Look.

Yesterday’s Congressional testimony from Michael Cohen was another day of theater in what has been a surreal time in political history. A convicted felon sat in front of the House Oversight Committee and called the president of the United States a racist, a cheat, and a liar.

Cohen’s public testimony overshadowed every other news story yesterday, including President Trump’s visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Whether you watched the live broadcast or followed along on Twitter, Cohen’s appearance was filled was everything from entertaining to disconcerting.

The Cohen saga has also been a focal point in late night television. Stephen Colbert has analyzed Cohen’s lies on The Late Show. And Late Night with Seth Meyers has been right there with Colbert in covering everything related to Cohen and corruption in Trump’s circle. So we all knew that Meyers would be taking “A Closer Look” at yesterday’s testimony from Cohen:

Seth Meyers has been using “A Closer Look” segments fairly often recently. But he doesn’t have much choice due to the stories that keep coming out. They would be impossible to ignore and often require this kind of unpacking.

The Cohen testimony is the perfect example of something made for “A Closer Look.” It was hours long and there were plenty of standout moments that could easily be forgotten once things finally came to end. But Meyers expertly breaks down everything starting with Representative Jim Jordan blowing his chance to disrupt the proceedings.

The theatrical or movie-like atmosphere of the testimony was fitting. After all, President Trump is a former reality television star who by all accounts is obsessed with fame and attention. Michael Cohen may have picked up a bit on that based on the delivery of his opening statement as Meyers points out so well. The late night host took it even further in comparing Trump to something you’d buy from an informercial, only to find out it looked better on TV.

But it wasn’t all about the damage to Trump that Meyers looked at last night. The contrast between Democratic and Republican representatives on the committee was something everyone watching noticed.

From a political perspective, plenty can be made about how no Republican challenged the content of Cohen’s testimony or his allegations against President Trump. But for our purposes, it is much more fun to consider the comedy of it all as pointed out by Seth Meyers.

The unpreparedness and poster board of Paul Gosar and the lack of awareness from Clay Higgins were just two examples of why the Michael Cohen testimony should make for a hilarious cold open on this week’s Saturday Night Live.

Related Story. Trevor Noah, Conan, and Kimmel on Michael Cohen. light

Michael Cohen’s testimony doesn’t bode well for President Trump’s administration nor is it a particularly good look for the entire country. But perhaps the fact that Cohen is out in the open discussing these crimes and allegations can help get things back on track. No matter what happens, Seth Meyers will be ready to take a closer look at it all.

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