Jon Stewart Hits Back at Mitch McConnell on 9/11 Victims Fund: You Keep ‘Jacking Us Around’
Jon Stewart showed up on The Late Show Monday night with his pal Stephen Colbert to tear into Senator Mitch McConnell for his reaction to Stewart calling him out on the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.
Stewart has been in the news the past week for his vocal advocacy to the fund that directly benefits 9/11 first responders. He publicly shamed Congress during the hearing and made two appearances on Fox News (as Colbert put it, “the only constituents that Republican lawmakers listen to”) to continue making his public appeal.
Stewart in particular called out McConnell for never dealing with this issue “compassionately” and only acting after being publicly shamed. McConnell responded Monday morning saying, “We will address it again. I don’t know why he’s bent out of shape.”
Colbert handed things over to Stewart, who expressed bewilderment and disgust at the way McConnell reacted.
He sarcastically accepted McConnell’s explanation that members of Congress were too “busy” to show up at last week’s hearing before asking, “Honestly, Mitch McConnell, you really want to go with the ‘we get to it when we get to it’ argument for the heroes of 9/11?'”
“You love the 9/11 community when they serve your political purposes,” he said, “but when they’re in urgent need, you slow-walk, you dither, you used it as a political pawn to get other things you want, and you don’t get the job done completely, and your answer to that charge is, ‘Yeah, duh, we’re Congress. That’s how we do.'”
Stewart again specifically called out McConnell for being an obstacle, emphasizing just how bipartisan the support has been and saying they have hoped that “when it finally gets to the great Mitch McConnell’s desk, you won’t jack us around like you’ve done in the past.”
He said McConnell should meet with first responders tomorrow and pass a standalone bill as soon as possible:
“If you’re busy, I get it. Just understand, the next time we have a war or you’re being robbed or your house is on fire and you make that desperate call for help, don’t get ‘bent out of shape’ if they show up at the last minute with fewer people than you thought were gonna pay attention and don’t actually put it out. Just sort of leave it there smoldering for another five years, ’cause that’s how shit’s done around here, mister. I’m sure they’ll put it out for good when they feel like getting around to it. No offense.”
You can watch the clip above, via CBS.
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