February 6, 2020

In Heartfelt Monologue, Colbert Thanks Romney for Political Courage

The Late Show host spoke on the importance of honoring oaths amid Republican cowardice.

Stephen Colbert on Wednesday added his voice to the wave of praise for Mitt Romney, the sole Republican senator to vote to convict President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial. Romney’s decision, which made him the first senator in US history to vote to remove a president of their own party from office, came as an act of rare political courage, one that clearly shocked and angered a White House hoping to declare the impeachment trial nothing more than a partisan witchhunt.

“Hearing Mitt Romney take his oath to God seriously was like finding water in the desert,” the Late Show host said in a moving monologue. “Because we know Republicans are lying when they say that Trump didn’t do anything wrong or maybe he did but shouldn’t be removed.” 

He continued: “Now, oaths may not mean a lot to some people. But here’s what it’s about: When you take an oath, you can’t think one thing and say another. You are asking God to witness, on the pain of your immortal soul, that what you whisper in your heart is what comes out of your mouth—though most of these guys are talking out of their ass.”

Colbert ended by thanking the Utah senator for his honesty and “for serving the Constitution rather than that monstrous child in the White House.”

“Why can’t he be president? Thanks, Obama.”

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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