The US House of Representatives and Senate have voted near-unanimously to release investigative files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a move celebrated by late-night hosts who also warned that President Donald Trump may still withhold information.
Jimmy Kimmel noted on Tuesday that the bill passed with such a large margin that Trump could not easily veto it, but cautioned: 'Make no mistake: this isn’t over. He’s not giving up. If anyone thinks he’s going to release all of the Epstein files, I’ve got a beautiful East Wing of the White House to sell you.' Kimmel pointed out that Trump cronies in the justice department could still withhold information on grounds of ongoing investigations, protecting innocent people or national security.
Stephen Colbert, on The Late Show, described the House vote of 427-1 as 'a huge loss for Trump', who along with Speaker Mike Johnson had fought the release for months. Colbert mocked Johnson's claim that Republicans always supported 'maximum transparency', and also criticised Trump's warm White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during which Trump told a reporter not to embarrass the guest by asking about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Seth Meyers, on Late Night, highlighted a recent meeting where Swiss officials gave Trump a Rolex desk clock and a one-kilogram personalised gold bar. 'So now foreign officials are just openly giving him gold?' he joked. Meyers also laughed at Trump's comment in an interview that people ask him for advice on raising children, saying 'I don’t know if I want advice on raising children from someone who doesn’t even know it’s called “raising children”.'
