LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'RE HERE WITH SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI.
THERE WAS A BIG VOTE TODAY IN CONGRESS FORMALIZING THE
PROCEDURES FOR IMPEACHMENT.
WHEN DO PUBLIC HEARINGS START?
>> THEY WILL BE -- SOON.
>> Stephen: COULD YOU BE VAGUER?
( LAUGHTER ) COULD I ASK YOU A FAVOR, PLEASE?
AS SOMEONE WHO HAS TO TALK ABOUT THIS STUFF EVERY NIGHT, COULD
YOU PLEASE NOT HAVE THEM AT NIGHT?
BECAUSE THEN I HAVE TO DO A LIVE SHOW EVERY NIGHT AFTER THE
HEARINGS.
COULD YOU HAVE THEM AT 9:00 IN THE MORNING AND HAVE ALL THE
FOOTAGE COME IN BY, SAY, 2:00 S WE CAN DUE TO IT FOR OUR SHOW?
>> THAT MIGHT BE A CONSIDERATION.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: PLEASE.
BUT RECOGNIZING THE SERIOUSNESS OF IT, THERE'S
PROBABLY NO MORE SERIOUS VOTE THAT MEMBERS COULD TAKE.
NOBODY COMES TO CONGRESS TO IMPEACH A PRESIDENT.
OUR PURPOSE IS TO GO THERE, WORK TOGETHER, COMPETITION OF IDEAS
TO GET THE BEST RESULT FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
SO WHEN WE HAVE TO DO THIS, I TRUST THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE
AND I WOULD BE HART PUT TO SAY, AS YOU PLAN THE SCHEDULE, THINK
ABOUT EDITING FOR THE NIGHTLY SHOWS.
>> Stephen: SAY MY NAME, STEPHEN COLBERT, BECAUSE THAT
MIGHT HAVE SOME WEIGHT.
IT'S THE NUMBER ONE SHOW.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I'M NOT SAYING DO IT FOR KIMMEL.
I'M SAYING DO IT FOR COLBERT.
>> ALL RIGHT, I'LL GIVE IT A TRY.
( APPLAUSE ) SERIOUSLY, THIS IS ABOUT THE
TRUTH.
IT'S ABOUT THE TRUTH AND THE CONSTITUTION, AND THEIR SCHEDULE
WILL RELATE TO THAT, AND, HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE
COMPATIBLE.
>> Stephen: I'M SAYING IT'S STILL TRUE IN THE MORNING IF IT
WAS TRUE AT NIGHT.
PLEASE FIND THE TRUTH IN THE MORNING.
( LAUGHTER ) LAST QUESTION, MADAM SPEAKER,
NOW, EVERY REPUBLICAN HAS ROLLED THE BONES THAT YOU DON'T HAVE
ENOUGH TO IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT.
>> NO, NO, NO, NO.
>> Stephen: THEY'VE ALL VOTED AGAINST HER AND SAID SHE'S GOT
NOTHING, THEY DON'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT.
ARE YOU LOOKING AT KEVIN McCARTHY AND THE REST OF THE
REPUBLICANS AND SAYING, "DO YOU FEEL LUCKY, PUNK?"
( LAUGHTER ) >> HERE'S THE THING ABOUT THIS,
AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION.
IT'S ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION.
WE TAKE AN OATH TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES, WHAT THOSE PEOPLE FOUGHT FOR AND THANK GOD THEY
MADE IT AMENDABLE SO WE COULD EXPAND FREEDOM OVER TIME AND
IT'S ABOUT THREE CO-EQUAL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT.
WE'RE HONORING OUR OATH OF OFFICE, WE'RE THERE TO
STRENGTHEN THE INSTITUTION WHICH WE SERVE, AND IF THEY DON'T WANT
TO DO THAT, THAT'S THEIR PROBLEM, BUT IT'S INTERESTING
BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN TALK PROCESS, PROCESS, PROCESS
BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY CAN'T REALLY GO NEAR THE SUBSTANCE
ISSUE.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: IF YOU'VE GOT THE
GOODS ON PRESIDENT TRUMP, OR IF THE CONSTITUTION HAS THE GOODS
ON PRESIDENT TRUMP, TO PUT IT IN YOUR VERNACULAR, IT'S ALREADY A
ROUGH POLITICAL LANDSCAPE, ARE YOU PREPARED FOR HOW ROUGH IT'S
GOING TO GET?
BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE GUY'S NOT GOING EASY IN A STREET FIGHT.
( LAUGHTER ) >> I GOT THIS BEAUTIFUL HONOR
LAST NIGHT.
THE L.B.J. AWARD.
WHEN I WAS ACCEPTING IT, I TOLD TWO STORIES, AND ONE OF THEM
IS -- I'LL BE QUICK -- ONE OF THEM WAS WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU
GIVE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE?
AND I TOLD THEM THEY HAVE TO HAVE THEIR VISION, KNOWLEDGE,
STRATEGIC THINKING AND CONNECTION TO THE ASPIRATIONS OF
THEIR CONSTITUENTS, BUT I SAID THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF
HEART.
SO IF YOU WANT TO GO INTO THE ARENA, YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED
TO TAKE A PUNCH.
BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO THROW A PUNCH FOR THE
CHILDREN, FOR THE CHILDREN!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( PIANO RIFF )
>> Stephen: THROW A PUNCH FOR THE CHILDREN.
>> FOR THE CHILDREN!
>> Stephen: MADAM SPEAKER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
ON THIS MOMENTOUS DAY.
GOOD LUCK TO THE CONSTITUTION.
>> THERE WE ARE.
>> Stephen: HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, EVERYBODY!