Late-night TV hosts on Donald Trump and Russia: 'This is real fake news'

Extract from The Guardian 

Comics, including Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, discussed allegations of Russia helping Trump’s campaign and Jared Kushner’s unusual trip to Iraq

Stephen Colbert: ‘What does Flynn know about Trump and how could it be worse than what we know about Trump?’ Photograph: YouTube

Aidan Mac Guill

Wednesday 5 April 2017 05.14 AEST 

Late-night hosts discussed investigations into possible Team Trump collusion with Russia, as well as son-in-law-in-chief Jared Kushner’s unusual trip to Iraq.
On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert brought up allegations that the Russian state paid teams to generate false news stories about Hillary Clinton during last year’s election. “And when I say fake news, this is real fake news,” Colbert explained. “Not fake fake news that is real news that Donald Trump just doesn’t like.”

Further reports have suggested that Russians, believing Trump to be susceptible to such false stories, have used Twitter accounts to tweet the stories at the president during periods when he’s likely to be online. “That’s almost as devious as when Putin put on a blonde wig and guest-hosted Fox and Friends,” Colbert joked.

The comic questioned the decision by Trump’s former national security adviser, Mike Flynn, to ask for immunity from prosecution in order to participate in an investigation into Trump’s Russia ties. “What does he know about Donald Trump, and how could it be worse than what we know about Donald Trump?” asked Colbert.
He went on to note reports that press secretary Sean Spicer owns several rental properties – “and you think your landlord is a liar” – and that protesters had sued Trump for allegedly targeting them at a campaign rally with racial and sexist slurs. “Or, as Trump calls them, campaign promises,” Colbert joked.

Colbert also mentioned Trump forgetting to sign an executive order at an executive order signing ceremony, suggesting he may simply have been tired. “It’s been a busy few weeks – every day he gets to work, rolls up his sleeves and gives a new job to Jared Kushner.”

On Late Night with Seth Meyers, the host said Trump’s behaviour at the signing ceremony reminded him of a “confused bear who woke up from hibernation too early”.
While there’s still no conclusive evidence of collusion that would connect the dots between Russia and Trump’s campaign team, Meyers noted that “there are so many dots”. “We are covered in dots,” the comic joked. “The Trump presidency is basically a six-year-old with chicken pox. And the rest of us are so itchy.”

On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host questioned why Kushner was visiting Iraq on behalf of the administration. “He’s a real estate developer, he’s 36 years old, he has no experience dealing with foreign governments. This is a guy whose job is to figure out how much it will cost to put a Dunkin’ Donuts on the first floor of an office building,” Kimmel said, adding: “Dennis Rodman has more foreign policy experience than Jared Kushner.”
Kimmel offered his own theory to explain the unusual visit. “I think the president might be trying to kill him. You know a lot of fathers don’t get along with their son-in-laws,” he joked.