-A federal judge said today
that Donald Trump's attempted coup is likely a crime
as bombshell new reporting revealed
that both Texas Senator Ted Cruz
and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
were closely involved
in Trump's attempt to overturn the election.
For more on this, it's time for "A Closer Look."
♪♪
Look, let's just get this out of the way.
Obviously, what everyone
would rather be talking about right now
instead of politics is the big moment from last night's Oscars.
You all know what I'm talking about.
Of course, that instantly iconic and unforgettable moment
when the Flash entered the Speed Force.
We all saw Oscar's history unfold
live before our eyes when that famous scene
finally got the recognition it deserved.
And clearly, that's what everyone is talking about today.
Did you see Nicole Kidman's reaction?
[ Laughter ]
That was either her face finding out
the Flash had entered the Speed Force
or when she discovered her mysterious British husband
was indeed the murderer.
[ Laughter ]
Anyway, unfortunately this is a segment
that's kind of supposed to be about politics,
and that's what we have to talk about,
which means it's time for a classic
"Late Night" smooth segue.
[ Smooth jazz playing ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Here we go. Ready?
And now the "Closer Look" begins.
[ Clears throat ]
Donald Trump's personal sway over the Republican Party
seems as strong as ever,
even if at times the candidates he backs fall flat.
In some places, Trump-endorsed candidates
are struggling in GOP primaries
and having a hard time raising money.
But in other places like Texas,
his endorsement was still very powerful.
And it's shocking to me how popular he remains in Texas,
given how stupid he looks in a cowboy hat.
[ Laughter ]
He looks like an undercover cop
trying to bust up a cattle rustling operation.
[ Laughter ]
On top of that, Trump keeps strongly hinting
that he's going to run in 2024,
but his crowds aren't exactly getting bigger.
A reporter at Trump's rally in Georgia
over the weekend tweeted...
The reporter also posted a photo from the event
that showed plenty of empty seats.
Normally, you only see that many empty seats
at a community theatre production of "Hamilton"
where they couldn't get the rights to any of the songs.
♪ My name is Alex and I'm here to say ♪
♪ "Let's tell the British to go away" ♪
There's even video of people in the crowd
filing out early as Trump was still speaking.
-The leaders who are going to save your state
from this anarchy and betrayal, your state...
-They're like Mets fans heading to the subway
in the seventh inning of a 10-run blowout.
Only a few more weeks until
that starts happening again, the crew.
Also, I love that in that snippet you can hear
Trump yelling something about anarchy and betrayal.
He sounds like he's reviewing last night's Oscars.
[ Imitating Trump ] "There was anarchy, betrayal, chaos,
and for some reason -- some reason,
a tribute to 'Pulp Fiction.'
And yet all these years later,
we still don't know what was in the briefcase.
Why won't they tell us what was in the briefcase?
Probably votes for Biden."
[ Laughter ]
[ Normal voice ] Trump's crowd was still
bored out of their minds,
even though he was busting out his greatest hits.
They watch his rallies the way I watch "Shawshank"
on a Sunday afternoon.
It's comforting, it's familiar,
and I definitely don't make it to the end.
So in many ways,
Trump remains the most powerful presence in the GOP.
But there are some early signs that his personal grip
over the party could be slipping.
And I certainly don't want to jinx it,
given that I've written him off before and been very wrong.
In fact, at this point, I just have to assume
that everything I predict about Trump is 100% wrong,
which is why today I called my bookie
and I put a million bucks on him to win in 2024,
hoping that means he'll lose.
Only problem is, I didn't have a million bucks on me,
so I had to borrow it from our cue card guy, Wally,
who has been cashing in on his fame from this show.
[ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ] Sorry, what?
What is Wallycoin?
-Seth, that's my new cryptocurrency.
-Why do you have a cryptocurrency?
-So I can buy NFCs. -You mean NFTs.
-No, no, no. NFCs -- nonfungible cue cards.
Seth, it's a picture of an ape holding a cue card,
and you get to own a picture of it
for as little as five grand.
[ Laughter ]
-Wally!
Anyway, the point is Trump's personal sway
over the GOP may or may not be waning.
Only time will tell.
But even if Trump himself fades away,
Trumpism and the Republican Party he molded
will very much remain.
Aspiring Republicans are all desperate to mimic him,
and the central animating force of Republican politics today
is still the rejection of democracy.
Just look at Georgia gubernatorial candidate
David Perdue, an ex-senator
who's trying to court Trump's base
by repeating his lies about the 2020 election
and blaming the current Republican governor,
Brian Kemp,
for allowing Democrats to steal the election.
-Let me be very clear -- very clear.
In the state of Georgia,
thanks to Brian Kemp,
our elections in 2020 were absolutely stolen.
And I'm fighting right now to find out what happened in 2020
and make sure that those people responsible
for that fraud in 2020
go to jail!
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Crowd chanting "Lock them up" ]
-Trump's crowds will chant "lock them up" about anyone now.
You can be Hillary Clinton or the ultra-conservative
governor of Georgia, it doesn't matter.
If you cross Trump, they want you in jail.
Next, they're going to turn their ire on wind and umbrellas
and the sun. [ Laughter ]
And there are times when I have to say even Trump
doesn't seem to have his heart in it.
Trump's whole bit is trolling.
He trolls the media and liberals,
and his disciples have picked up the mantle
like Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz,
the only person on Earth -- this is interesting --
who's Funko Pop would have a smaller head.
[ Laughter ]
Gaetz appeared at the rally and once again
floated an idea he's pitched before --
to make Trump Speaker of the House
if Republicans win the midterms in November.
But Trump did not have much of a reaction.
-Give us the ability
to fire Nancy Pelosi,
take back the majority,
impeach Joe Biden,
and I'm gonna nominate Donald Trump
for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives!
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody.
Well, that was interesting.
[ Laughter ]
-He sounds like a dad
whose teenager just made him watch "Euphoria"
for the first time.
"Well, that was... very interesting.
Hey, I'm gonna come to school with you tomorrow.
No.
For the whole day." [ Laughter ]
So, regardless of what happens with Trump himself,
Trumpism is very much the heart of the GOP and here to stay.
And it's not just the Matt Gaetzes
and David Perdues of the world.
Republicans at the highest echelons of power
have fully embraced the conspiracy theories
and authoritarian impulses that defined Trumpism.
Last week, for example, we learned about bombshell
text messages from Ginni Thomas,
the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas,
to Trump's Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows,
pushing the Trump administration to overturn the election.
-Tonight, our chief election and campaign correspondent
Robert Costa and Bob Woodward have uncovered text messages
between the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
and President Trump's top aide, in which she repeatedly
pushed to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
-The first message from Thomas came the day before Joe Biden
was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
"Do not concede," she wrote.
"It takes time for the army who is gathering for his back."
-Holy [bleep], that sounds like something Saruman would say
in "Lord of the Rings." [ Laughter ]
"It takes time for the army, who is gathering for his back."
That is very Shakespearean for someone named Ginni.
There's not a lot of Ginnis in Shakespeare.
Just not a Shakespearean name.
No one's buying tickets to see "Romeo and Ginni."
"I liked Romeo, but the Ginni character was a lot."
And let's not forget the reason this is so shocking
is Trump was open about his desire
to have the Supreme Court help him stay in power.
He said it repeatedly and took his case to the Supreme Court.
There was even a case where Trump sued
to block the National Archives
from releasing any records related to January 6th.
And the only justice to side with Trump
in that eight-to-one ruling was Clarence Thomas.
He sided with Trump in the case to block the release of records
that could have potentially implicated his own wife.
That is a slap in the face to the Constitution.
And even if it was to protect your wife,
slapping is never okay!
[ Laughter, cheering ]
No slapping!
[ Cheers and applause ]
So it's a massive scandal. Although, I get it.
If I were sending crazy [bleep] like that,
my wife would want those texts blocked too.
In fact, I'm pretty sure she already has my number blocked
because I keep texting her
"Do you like my Pacino impression?"
and I get no response.
[ Imitating Pacino ] I can't believe my own wife...
left me on read!
[ Laughter ]
[ Applause ]
[ Normal voice ] And it wasn't just -- Don't you dare.
Don't you dare ruin what clapping means forever.
[ Laughter ]
And it wasn't just Ginni Thomas.
This morning, "The Washington Post"
also reported on Ted Cruz's last-ditch battle
to keep Trump in power, including
working directly with Trump
to concoct a plan that came closer
than wildly realized keeping him in power.
Of course Ted Cruz was involved.
If there's a rotting, insidious idea somewhere, anywhere,
it's more likely than not that Ted Cruz had a role in it.
He was probably the one who told Trump,
"That had looks great on you, sir."
And these two were apparently in constant communication
throughout the months-long coup attempt
that culminated in the January 6th riot.
According to "The Post"...
First of all, I have a hard time believing
their phone conversations were that brief.
I don't think Trump has ever made a short phone call
in his entire life.
Remember when he used to call in to the "Fox & Friends"
while they just sat there without blinking for an hour,
just staring into the void, wondering, "Am I dead,
and is this my punishment?" [ Laughter ]
So Cruz was deeply involved in Trump's effort
to overthrow the election.
Fortunately for us, Cruz's last-ditch effort
to overturn the election
went about as well as his last-ditch effort
to get on a plane in Montana.
-New video this morning showing the moments before
airport security was called on Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
He missed his flight check on Sunday in Bozeman, Montana,
and options to reschedule were limited because of spring break.
So the senator got in a heated conversation
with airport employees over the issue.
-Cops were even called to calm down the Texas Republican.
It happened at Bozeman Yellowstone
International Airport in Montana.
A social media posting claimed that Cruz wouldn't calm down
and was heard asking...
-Ted Cruz strikes me as one of those people
who hopes the answer to "Do you know who I am?" is no.
"Do you know who I am?" "I don't."
"Thank God. I am but a weary traveler...
who seeks passage home to my loved ones
and not, I assure you, a noxious toady hell-bent
on destroying American democracy.
I've never even been to Cancún."
And then today, after all those major bombshells,
a federal judge wrote in a new court
filing that Trump's attempted coup
was more likely than not a crime,
adding that the illegality of the plan was obvious.
Yeah, man, no [bleep].
I'm tired of waiting for judges
and DAs and special committees to tell us what we all saw
with our own eyes was probably not legal.
Why is this taking so long?
This is like if a character in season eight
of "Game of Thrones" said, "Hey, any word
on whether or not winter is coming?"
It's like, "Where have you been?"
[ Laughter ]
"You literally have heard no update on that?"
The evidence of a criminal attempt
to overthrow American democracy is so overwhelming
and involves so many figures
at the highest levels of the Republican Party,
it's hard to fathom.
And yet still so many
of our judges and prosecutors and elected officials
saw what happened on January 6th, shrugged and said...
-Well, that was interesting.
-This has been "A Closer Look."
♪♪
God's Love We Deliver cooks and brings over 2 million meals
a year to men, women, and children
living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses,
and they need your help now more than ever.
If you're watching this online, you can hit the donate button.
Stay safe, get vaccinated. We love you.