-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
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