Democrat Calls Out CBS And Trump To Colbert’s Face Minutes After He Announces Cancellation
Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) called out President Donald Trump and CBS/Paramount just minutes after Late Show host Stephen Colbert announced the show’s cancellation under a cloud of suspicion.
Fifteen days after Paramount announced that they would pay Trump $16 million to settle what most experts consider to be a meritless lawsuit over a 2024 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, CBS announced the end of The Late Show.
That announcement also came just three days after Colbert nuked the company over the settlement on the air, calling it a “big fat bribe.”
On Thursday night’s edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the star — a vocal critic of the president — broke the news to his audience in a cold open that included gratitude for his company — and nary a mention of Trump.
But Schiff dropped a reference to the settlement at issue right into the middle of his three-segment interview:
STEPHEN COLBERT: You know who this is, everybody — California Senator Adam Schiff.
We are six months into Trump’s second term. How is it different this time?
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Fundamentally, it’s different because Donald Trump was much less successful in the first term in creating a climate of fear. This is what he’s after.
He wants to make the law firms afraid. He wants to make universities afraid. He wants to make immigrants afraid. He wants to make citizens afraid. He wants to make news organizations, CBS and Paramount, afraid. He wants to make ABC afraid.
And he has succeeded. He is succeeding. More than anything else, he wants to make Republicans in Congress afraid. Because he wants them to do his will.
He wants the judges to be afraid, afraid they’ll be impeached if they cross him. Afraid for their own personal safety if they cross him. He’s wanted to create a climate of fear and he has done so in six months, which is radically different than the first term.
In part it’s different because in the first term, there were at least some people to stand up to him. Secretary Mattis, the John Kellys and others that had some stature, who were willing to say, “Mr. President, that’s a stupid-ass idea” or that’s not a lawful idea or not going to go along with that idea.
STEPHEN COLBERT: Also he didn’t think he was going to win, I don’t think, so they didn’t have a plan in place.
SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Yes.
Watch above via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
