Stephen Colbert celebrates impeachment eve and possible second transcript release
By Matt Moore
Stephen Colbert showed off his Impeachment Tree ahead of public testimony and questioned President Trump teasing a new transcript.
Stephen Colbert is treating today like a holiday. The first day of public testimony in the impeachment inquiry had the Late Show host staying up all night decorating his impeachment tree and anticipating a new transcript of a phone call from President Donald Trump to Ukraine.
Wednesday is the first day that testimony in the impeachment inquiry will not be conducted behind closed doors. This comes after Republicans demanding more transparency in the process, going so far as to storm a hearing in what was ultimately a failed stunt.
The public hearings will feature Bill Taylor, the acting ambassador to Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. Both men have already testified privately and reports suggested they did not help President Donald Trump’s defense in what they told Congress.
Perhaps knowing Taylor and Kent already dug a deep hole for President Trump is why Stephen Colbert is so excited for the public testimony. It also will give Colbert another chance to mock both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who are sure to add a certain level of performance to their televised questioning.
Colbert covered that and President Trump teasing the release of a second transcript during Tuesday night’s Late Show monologue. Watch and see if you feel any of Colbert’s holiday cheer.
The Lindsey Graham-inspired ornament on Colbert’s impeachment tree tells us that this isn’t exactly a family friendly holiday. You have to imagine that that gag took some finessing to get by the CBS censors. But Colbert has shown that he is willing to go out of his way when it comes to making fun of Senator Graham.
President Trump has been adamant that his call to the Ukrainian president was “perfect” and nothing he said or did surrounding the call was impeachable. Late night hosts like Colbert don’t expect Trump’s story to change and instead have focused on how Republican defense of President Trump has constantly shifted.
The Late Show, along with Late Night with Seth Meyers , has spent countless monologues and bits trying to make sense of the GOP strategy. It’s why Colbert started off his “Impeachment Eve” celebration by taking a shot at Senator Lindsey Graham. The Ukraine scandal has significantly widened the scope of who ends up in late night’s crosshairs every night.
Still, Colbert is intrigued by President Trump teasing the release of a second, “tantalizing” transcript of a phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Perhaps the President isn’t satisfied with how his defense is progressing and believes a second transcript will clear him. But Colbert sees it as another chance to mock President Trump, this time with the 1-900 service parody.
Colbert rips Republicans after impeachment resolution passes. light. Related Story
The testimony and hearings on Wednesday should give fans a pretty good idea of how happy Stephen Colbert will be in his next monologue. With the way things are trending, Colbert should be plenty excited about what will be under the Impeachment Tree.