Seth Meyers: A Closer Look at the Republicans behind the coup

A Closer Look on Late Night with Seth Meyers profiled the Republicans supporting efforts to throw out the election results

On Thursday night, Seth Meyers continued to examine the violent insurrection that took place at the Capitol. A day after calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office, Meyers used “A Closer Look” to focus on the Republicans behind the plan that started it all.

Meyers’ monologue on Wednesday’s Late Show was a thoughtful and poignant piece that encapsulated what so many people were feeling. Even though Meyers has spent years calling for President Trump to be impeached or removed via the 25th Amendment, the late night host’s words on Wednesday carried extra weight given the day’s events.

President Trump’s Republican allies and supporters have never gone without blame from Meyers. “A Closer Look” has called out countless members of the GOP for enabling President Trump’s behavior and echoing false claims or conspiracy theories.

Thursday’s edition of “A Closer Look” zeroed in on Republicans who Meyers says contributed to the violence at the Capitol. Rudy Giuliani, Senator Josh Hawley, and Senator Ted Cruz are among those Meyers accuses of leading the coup:

Meyers immediately breaks down the argument made by Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona and others claiming that they were legitimately elected but President-elect Joe Biden was not. This, despite the elections occurring on the same ballots.

For Meyers, the flawed argument uncovers their true motivation: “overthrowing democracy and installing Trump as a dictator.” It’s something that Meyers has seen coming for years as Republicans looked the other way or enabled President Trump through scandals that the Late Night host believed was cause for impeachment.

Seth Meyers calls for President Trump’s Republican allies to also be removed from office

If Republicans like Senator Josh Hawley and Senator Ted Cruz want to hitch their wagons to President Trump, then Seth Meyers says they should all share the same fate. “A Closer Look” makes the case for these Republicans to also be removed from office, echoing the calls Meyers made the night before.

The chaos at the Capitol should be enough for Republicans to give up and “slink away in shame,” says Meyers. But instead, many doubled down and continued to push conspiracy theories about both the election and the violence at the Capitol.

Meyers ends “A Closer Look” by refusing to applaud members of the administration resigning now rather than staying on to help remove President Trump from office. The Late Night host once again emphasizes that things cannot stop with just the president:

"It is essential for the preservation of our democracy that Trump be lawfully removed from office as quickly as possible. It needs to happen immediately along with the expulsion or resignation of Cruz, Hawley, and any other Republicans who fomented this violent sedition against our democracy."

What did you think of this installment of “A Closer Look”? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.