Jon Stewart, who once pronounced, “The thing about a moral compass is you take it out and check it from time to time. You don&#8217;t have to wait for history to show you you&#8217;re headed in the wrong direction,” and also mocked Donald Trump over accusations that he inflated the value of his real estate, has been blasted after news broke that he allegedly overvalued his own New York City penthouse by an enormous 829%.
Stewart, 61, said on “The Daily Show” on Monday night, “The attorney general of New York knew that Trump’s property values were inflated because when it came time to pay taxes, Trump undervalued the very same properties. It was all part of a very specific real estate practice known as lying.”
But then it was reported that Stewart allegedly overvalued his New York City penthouse, which he sold in 2014 for <a href="https://nypost.com/2014/11/06/jon-stewart-sells-his-tribeca-duplex-for-17-5m/">$17.5 million</a>.
According to 2013-2014 assessor records obtained by <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/27/real-estate/jon-stewart-found-to-have-overvalued-his-nyc-home-by-829/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a>, Stewart&#8217;s property had an estimated market value of only $1.8 million, and &#8220;the actual assessor valuation was even lower, at $847,174,&#8221; according to the outlet.
The Post added, “Records also show that Stewart paid significantly lower property taxes, which were calculated based on that assessor valuation price — precisely what he called Trump out for doing in his<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMinX6t1Zk"> Monday monologue.</a>”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Did <a href="https://twitter.com/jonstewart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jonstewart</a> commit fraud when he sold his penthouse for $17.5M?
NY listed its market value at $1.8M an AV at around 800k
Who did he He defraud??
I am SHOCKED
SHOCKED <a href="https://t.co/9okis96VQP">pic.twitter.com/9okis96VQP</a>
&mdash; Tim Pool (@Timcast) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timcast/status/1772673524714348703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Post also noted that the New York assessor valuation on Stewart’s penthouse was the same citation method and metric that was utilized by New York Attorney General Letitia James to assess Trump’s private and personal properties.
Stewart <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/stewart-trump-fraud-trial-victimless-b2518916.html">vented some more</a> on Monday night, saying:
<blockquote>
I don’t know if you know this, but most people just can’t commit fraud and expect to face no repercussions, even if everyone’s doing it. &#8230; Try getting a car loan by saying you have 10 times as much money as you really do. Or claim 20 dependents when you have no children. Or say you make slightly less money to qualify for food assistance. I will guarantee you, there are not just financial consequences for those lies, but criminal ones &#8230;
But don’t tell that to the investment community, because in their minds, in pursuit of profit, there is no rule that cannot be bent, there is no principle that cannot be undercut, as long as you and your f***ing friends make money.
</blockquote>

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart Mocks Trump Over Accusations He Inflated Property Value. Guess Who Allegedly Did The Same Thing By 829%?

Donald Trump

Fraud

Property Rights

Jon Stewart didn&#8217;t hold back when he said he decided to come back to Comedy Central&#8217;s &#8220;The Daily Show&#8221; as host after a nearly nine-year hiatus.
During Stewart&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://x.com/CBSMornings/status/1757052774036967799?s=20">CBS Mornings</a>&#8221; appearance on Monday, he said returning to the show would give him a &#8220;place to unload thoughts as we get into this election season.&#8221; He will host on Monday nights through the 2024 presidential election, beginning February 12.
The move comes after Apple TV+ and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewarts-latest-talk-show-comes-to-an-end-following-creative-differences-report">Stewart</a> decided to part ways after two seasons of &#8220;The Problem With Jon Stewart&#8221; over creative differences, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jon-stewart-daily-show-return-apple-exit-interview-1235822509/">The Hollywood Reporter</a> noted.
&#8220;I thought I was going to do it over at — they call it Apple TV+,” Stewart said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a television enclave, very small. It&#8217;s like living in Malibu. They decided, they felt that they didn&#8217;t want me to say things that might get me in trouble.&#8221;
Stewart admitted he&#8217;s unsure if his return could influence the election and joked, &#8220;Who better to comment on this election than someone who truly understands two aging men past their prime?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Starting tonight, <a href="https://twitter.com/jonstewart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jonstewart</a> is back at <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDailyShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheDailyShow</a> anchor desk on Mondays through the 2024 election cycle.
He shares why he’s taking on a second term: “Who better to comment on this election than someone who truly understands two aging men past their prime?” <a href="https://t.co/WSOBtSmrdj">pic.twitter.com/WSOBtSmrdj</a>
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSMornings/status/1757052774036967799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;&#8230;but I&#8217;m hoping to have a catharsis and a way to comment on things and a way to express them that hopefully people will enjoy,&#8221; Stewart said. &#8220;But as far as influence, and you guys know this from doing this, just about everything I had wanted to happen over the 16 years that I was at &#8216;The Daily Show&#8217; did not happen, if you were hoping for influence.&#8221;
 &#8220;And I think I&#8217;ve learned that post-&#8216;Daily Show&#8217; … I don&#8217;t really view it as I really want to have an influence on this issue, this election,’ things like that,&#8221; he added.
Speaking ahead of his official return, Stewart spoke with &#8220;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5P3vtCr3uFrN3297jMwKAR?si=11b225ca3fa2466a">The Daily Show&#8217;s Ears Edition podcast&#8221;</a> about his comeback, THR noted.
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&#8220;If you want to be present in this world, you have to be present in this conversation and you have to be as relentless and as tenacious as the counter-narrative that&#8217;s being formed,&#8221; Stewart said.
&#8220;So much of the information that we see now is weaponized … and it keeps taking exponential leaps,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It&#8217;s not just the election. It&#8217;s AI. It&#8217;s the way that we&#8217;ve militarized all our conflicts.&#8221;
&#8220;It all ties together to one larger idea, which is the form of government we love so much is an analog — I don&#8217;t want to say dinosaur — but it is analog and the world now moves at an increasingly infinite digital pace and reconciling those two things, I think, is the challenge of the moment for people,&#8221; Stewart continued.
&nbsp;

Jon Stewart Says ‘Daily Show’ Return Provides A ‘Place To Unload Thoughts’ During Election Cycle

Jon Stewart Says ‘Daily Show’ Return Provides A 'Place To Unload Thoughts' During Election Cycle

2024 Election

Entertainment

Media

Politics

The Daily Show

Comedian Jon Stewart plans to return to Comedy Central&#8217;s &#8220;The Daily Show&#8221; for the 2024 election cycle, acting as executive producer and hosting the program himself on Monday evenings.
According to a <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/jon-stewart-daily-show-return-monday-1235885955/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> posted Wednesday by entertainment site Variety, Paramount Global network has scrapped the search for a permanent host — more than a year after the last host, comedian Trevor Noah, announced his exit — and has instead opted to bring Stewart back. He will &#8220;run the show&#8221; in addition to hosting every Monday night beginning February 12, and according to reports, might remain in that role until 2025.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Here it is, your Moment of Zen <a href="https://t.co/Y6AFBkJtOx">pic.twitter.com/Y6AFBkJtOx</a>
&mdash; The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDailyShow/status/1750207955016757419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Jon Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return to Comedy Central’s &#8216;The Daily Show&#8217; to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season. In our age of staggering hypocrisy and performative politics, Jon is the perfect person to puncture the empty rhetoric and provide much-needed clarity with his brilliant wit,&#8221; Chris McCarthy, President/CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement.
Stewart added his own thoughts as well, posting on X, &#8220;Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future! 5’7” ish, 165, 14.8 second 40. #Blessed #NILBABY #TDSnation #LFGM.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Friends. After much reflection I have decided to enter the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility. Excited for the future! 5’7” ish 165 14.8 second 40<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Blessed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Blessed</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NILBABY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NILBABY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TDSnation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TDSnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LFGM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LFGM</a>
&mdash; Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonstewart/status/1750199599703162955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Stewart left &#8220;The Daily Show&#8221; in 2015 — after hosting the show for well over a decade — after which Noah took the helm until 2022. Since then, he has been involved in a number of other projects, including AppleTv&#8217;s &#8220;The Problem With Jon Stewart&#8221; and a stint as executive producer on &#8220;The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.&#8221;
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According to Variety, the plan may be to mimic what MSNBC did with popular liberal host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rachel-maddow-taking-hiatus-from-her-msnbc-show">Rachel Maddow</a>, negotiating a deal to keep her hosting on Mondays while the network circulated other hosts throughout the rest of the week.

Jon Stewart Plans Return To ‘The Daily Show’ For 2024 Election Cycle

Comedy

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewarts-new-apple-tv-show-rumored-to-be-a-huge-flop-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jon Stewart</a>&#8216;s latest talk show is reportedly coming to an end following creative differences between the former &#8220;Daily Show&#8221; host and Apple&#8217;s streaming service — where his show &#8220;The Problem&#8221; has run for two seasons.
Sources told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/business/media/jon-stewart-the-problem-ends.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> that Stewart and Apple decided to part ways after the TV host became frustrated with being &#8220;hamstrung&#8221; over guests and possible topics that would be discussed on the show, specifically regarding China and artificial intelligence. Another source suggested that the upcoming 2024 presidential campaign could lead to more creative differences.
Stewart reportedly told members of his staff on Thursday that the show was over after production on the eight-episode third season had already gotten underway with filming soon to take place, sources told the outlet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Apple Reportedly Cancels Jon Stewart’s Show Over His AI and China Talking Points <a href="https://t.co/GufzY8nW7F">https://t.co/GufzY8nW7F</a> <a href="https://t.co/b3WzpgFSNM">pic.twitter.com/b3WzpgFSNM</a>
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gizmodo/status/1715381006239506668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
&#8220;The Problem with Jon Stewart&#8221; debuted on Apple in 2021 after the political commentator walked away from the popular Comedy Central series &#8220;The Daily Show&#8221; in 2015.
Sources spoke to the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jon-stewart-the-problem-canceled-apple-creative-differences-1235623235/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hollywood Reporter</a> and said concerns over certain topics had led executives to speak to Stewart about needing to be &#8220;aligned&#8221; on the show. Sources close to Stewart told THR that he wanted to have full creative control of the series and after the tech giant &#8220;threatened to cancel the series&#8221; over the disputes, he said he&#8217;d rather walk away from the show than do it with his hands tied.
In 2020, the comedian signed on with Apple for a multi-year pact that included his talk show &#8220;The Problem&#8221; along with other development projects via his Busboy Productions banner, THR noted.
The first season of &#8220;The Problem&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/business/media/jon-stewart-the-problem-ends.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggled</a> to gain traction, with the show&#8217;s viewership lagging well behind competitors and losing viewers with each episode, according to an April 2022 <a href="https://www.bqprime.com/onweb/jon-stewart-s-the-problem-on-apple-tv-joins-streaming-talk-show-slump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>.
Some changes were made for the second season, and new episodes were released on a weekly basis, with some show clips going viral. During the series&#8217; time on the air, &#8220;The Problem&#8221; earned five Emmy nominations, including for talk series and writing, THR noted.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Jon Stewart’s Latest Talk Show Comes To An End Following Creative Differences: Report

Jon Stewart’s Talk Show Return Comes To An End Following Creative Differences: Report

Apple

Celebrities

Hollywood

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pentagon can&#8217;t explain why it has failed</a> an audit five times in a row, nor what happened to billions upon billions of U.S. taxpayers&#8217; dollars, and you ask them about potential corruption, their main defense is to insult your intelligence. Even the beloved leftist Jon Stewart received that treatment as he tread too closely to the topic during an interview with the Department of Defense&#8217;s number two in command.
Stewart recently sat down with Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks for an interview on C-SPAN. During that conversation, Stewart brought up<a href="https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2022/11/16/dod-fails-audit-cites-ukraine-as-teachable-moment-in-accountability/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> the Pentagon&#8217;s inability to keep its books straight</a>, but Hicks denied that its failure was in any way sign of corruption or irresponsibility.
&#8220;The ability to pass an audit or, the fact that the DoD has not passed an audit is not suggestive of waste, fraud, and abuse. That is completely false, right there,&#8221; Hicks said during the back and forth, in a rather dismissive tone.
&#8220;So, what it is suggestive of?&#8221; Stewart replied.
&#8220;It’s suggestive that we can’t – we don’t have an accurate inventory that we can pull up of what we have where,&#8221; she responded defiantly. &#8220;That is not the same as saying, &#8216;We can’t do that because waste, fraud, and abuse has occurred.'&#8221;
Of course, a sharp observer would question how she can so definitively say that &#8220;waste, fraud, and abuse&#8221; has not occurred when the Pentagon does not have reliable data on the topic, by their own admission. Stewart wasn&#8217;t done though, and offered a reasonable rebuttal.
&#8220;So, in my world, that’s waste,&#8221; he said.
Hicks didn&#8217;t get it, asking, &#8220;How is that waste?&#8221;
&#8220;If I give you a billion dollars and you can’t tell me what happened to it, that to me is wasteful,&#8221; the former Comedy Central host explained. &#8220;That means you are not responsible. But if you can’t tell me where it went, then what am I supposed to think? And when there has been reporting – I mean, this is not, look, I’m not saying this is on you and that you caused this.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks loses composure when pressed about government fraud, waste, and abuse <a href="https://t.co/SBajxUOJpH">pic.twitter.com/SBajxUOJpH</a>
&mdash; unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) <a href="https://twitter.com/unusual_whales/status/1645185065427795968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As numerous people pointed out on Twitter, Stewart often behaves as a de facto propagandist for the Democratic Party. He asked a pretty straightforward question that was met with contempt. In turn, the Biden administration&#8217;s incompetence at best and willful obtuseness at worst were exposed. Why is it up to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-family-got-over-a-million-from-china-but-nobody-in-the-democrat-media-complex-cares" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democrat-Media Complex-friendly</a> comedian to shed light on potential corruption?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This video shows why the media is the way it is. Government officials can’t even respond to BASIC questions from fellow stooges of the regime like Jon Stewart. He poses not threat. He coddles them. But even basic questioning and it’s a meltdown. Imagine if we had a real press. <a href="https://t.co/SNZYPQc4HX">https://t.co/SNZYPQc4HX</a>
&mdash; Cernovich (@Cernovich) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/1645190523957936128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-forget-about-ukrainian-aid-oversight-it-is-a-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden Admin: Forget About Ukrainian Aid Oversight, ‘It Is A War’</a>

Jon Stewart, Kathleen Hicks

The Pentagon Really Doesn’t Like Being Asked Why It Has Failed An Audit Five Times In A Row

The Pentagon Really Doesn't Like Being Asked Why It Has Failed An Audit Fiven Times In A Row

Biden Administration

Corruption

Department of Defense

Federal Government

Military

Pentagon

Remember when social media platforms forbade anyone from even suggesting that the COVID virus may have leaked from a lab in China that was studying coronaviruses?
Pepperidge Farm remembers.
But that was way back then. Now, much of the COVID narrative is falling apart — new studies have suggested that masks don&#8217;t work, lockdowns were ineffectual, the vaccine is now mostly ineffective, and the U.S. Energy Department says that it&#8217;s likely the Wuhan lab was the source of the virus.
One person who&#8217;s been following the whole saga is Bill Maher, host of HBO&#8217;s &#8220;Real Time.&#8221;
&#8220;I feel like the people who were the dissenters are looking pretty good. I was one of them,&#8221; Maher said during a panel discussion on his show Friday night. &#8220;I remember getting a lot of s*** from a lot of places.&#8221;
A guest on the show, comedian and Rumble host Russell Brand, jumped in, saying dissent &#8220;is a great duty around all topics&#8221; as he criticized those who are &#8220;too desperate to shut down a conversation.&#8221; That, he said, actually results in the &#8220;ironic&#8221; rejection of science and inquiry.
&#8220;The problem I feel that we had is that only experimentation was taking place that was beneficial to certain interests,&#8221; Brand said. &#8220;Only arguments were being advanced that were beneficial to certain interests. Only regulations were being imposed that were beneficial to certain interests.&#8221;
&#8220;The Wuhan lab leak theory being just one example — [top COVID official Dr. Anthony] Fauci himself was seriously considering that this was a likely origin for the virus,&#8221; the actor said.
&#8220;How could it not be a possibility?&#8221; Maher said incredulously. &#8220;It&#8217;s a lab in Wuhan where the virus started that studied the virus and was doing gain of function research on the virus. How could it not be?!&#8221;
Another guest on the show, liberal MSNBC analyst John Heilemann toed the party line, blaming former President Donald Trump for &#8220;politicizing&#8221; the issue and putting the lab-leak theory in doubt.
&#8220;If you go back to that time, why do people seize on the notion that they&#8217;ll reject the lab-leak theory? Because like everything else in COVID, Donald Trump politicized it from day one,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;His thing in that first two weeks was &#8216;kung flu.&#8217; And it was not just that it started in a lab, but then that the Chinese had released it on the world, that it was a bioweapon. This wasn&#8217;t a leak. It was just not like there was an accident in the lab. The notion that was put forward by the administration in some case was there was political interest to make China the villain,&#8221; Heilemann said.
But Maher pushed back. &#8220;So everybody else has to take his bait like that and double down on stupid?&#8221; he said.
Brand piled on, saying it wasn&#8217;t just Trump who politicized the virus.
&#8220;It seems that it&#8217;s not solely the responsibility of Donald Trump that this issue has become politicized. When we take the issue of natural immunity, the efficacy of masks, it&#8217;s difficult not to posit that perhaps increasingly a centralized authority becomes subject to inquiry that has never before face to because of the advancement of technology, because of our media ability to communicate, they are doubling down on authoritarianism,&#8221; Brand said.
Maher&#8217;s criticism follows that of Jon Stewart, a dyed-in-the-wool liberal who once hosted &#8220;The Daily Show.&#8221; He was roundly ripped by fellow liberals when he vehemently (and in a quite funny way) declared in June 2021 that the COVID virus emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China.
He felt vindicated when the U.S. Energy Department said this week the virus likely emerged from the lab.
&#8220;The larger problem with all of this is the inability to discuss things that are within the realm of possibility without falling into absolutes and litmus-testing each other for our political allegiances as it arose from that,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;My bigger problem with that was, I thought it was a pretty good bit that expressed kind of how I felt, and the two things that came out of it were, I’m racist against Asian people, and how dare I align myself with the alt-right,&#8221; Stewart said.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles – January 18, 2017

COVID ‘Dissenters Are Looking Pretty Good,’ Bill Maher Says

COVID 'Dissenters Are Looking Pretty Good,' Bill Maher Says

Bill Maher

COVID

COVID-19

Lockdowns

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jon-stewart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jon Stewart</a>, a dyed-in-the-wool liberal who once hosted &#8220;The Daily Show,&#8221; was ripped by fellow liberals when he vehemently (and in a quite funny way) declared nearly two years ago that the COVID virus emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China.
That was in June 2021. He took endless guff from critics.
Turns out he was right — at least according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Department.
&#8220;First of all, I wasn’t waiting on the Department of Energy to weigh in on this,&#8221; Stewart said this week on his podcast. And he pointed out that he was doing what humans do: Pondering. He wondered why the virus came from a place where there just happened to be a laboratory studying coronaviruses &#8212; like COVID.
&#8220;The larger problem with all of this is the inability to discuss things that are within the realm of possibility without falling into absolutes and litmus-testing each other for our political allegiances as it arose from that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;My bigger problem with that was, I thought it was a pretty good bit that expressed kind of how I felt, and the two things that came out of it were, I’m racist against Asian people, and how dare I align myself with the alt-right.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today <a href="https://twitter.com/jonstewart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonStewart</a> talks to some of our staff about the news that the COVID-19 virus may, in fact, have leaked from a lab in China and what it reveals about the problem with the media narrative machine. Full episode drops Wednesday on <a href="https://twitter.com/ApplePodcasts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ApplePodcasts</a> <a href="https://t.co/tsaLUYzIRl">pic.twitter.com/tsaLUYzIRl</a>
&mdash; The Problem With Jon Stewart (@TheProblem) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheProblem/status/1630307406390390784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That&#8217;s what happens when you question the conventional &#8220;wisdom&#8221; being pressed by liberal media &#8212; while social media supresses anything that runs counter to that wisdom.
Stewart let loose on his critics who blasted him back in June 2021. &#8220;The part that I don’t like about it is the absolutes and the dismissive, like, ‘f*** you, I’m done with you,&#8217; &#8216;I will never forgive you, you have crossed an unforgivable line.&#8217; &#8216;You’ve expressed an opinion that is antithetical to mine, or not mine,’” Stewart said.
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The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the COVID virus most likely originated from a laboratory leak, according to a classified intelligence report from the U.S. Energy Department.
The report, which was included in an update to a 2021 document by the Director of National Intelligence&#8217;s office, was recently delivered to the White House and top lawmakers in Congress. Sources told the Journal that the updated assessment from the Energy Department is the result of new intelligence.
That report followed a declassified intelligence report released in November 2021 by the FBI that concluded with &#8220;moderate confidence&#8221; that the virus emerged after a &#8220;laboratory accident.&#8221;
In a wild appearance on &#8220;The Late Show&#8221; with Stephen Colbert, an animated Stewart went on a rant about the origin of COVID.
Toeing the liberal line, Colbert asked: &#8220;Do you mean perhaps there’s a chance that this was created in a lab? If there’s evidence, I’d love to hear it.”
“A chance? Oh my god!” an incredulous Stewart replied. “There’s a novel respiratory coronavirus overtaking Wuhan, China, what do we do? Oh, you know who we could ask? The Wuhan novel respiratory coronavirus lab! The disease is the same name as the lab! That’s just a little too weird, don’t you think?”
Stewart then pretended to be a Wuhan scientist, claiming the virus emerged when “a pangolin kissed a turtle” or “a bat flew into the cloaca of a turkey, and then it sneezed into my chili and now we all have coronavirus.”
He went on to note the absurdity of the virus emerging in a city with a coronavirus lab.
“There’s been an outbreak of chocolatey goodness near Hershey, Pennsylvania — what do you think happened?” he said. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe a steam shovel mated with a cocoa bean … or it’s the f***ing chocolate factory. Maybe that’s it!”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jon Stewart On Vaccine Science And The Wuhan Lab Theory" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sSfejgwbDQ8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Jon Stewart 911 Fund

‘How Dare I?’: A Vindicated Jon Stewart, Who Long Ago Declared COVID Came From Wuhan Lab, Rips Critics

 'How Dare I?': A Vindicated Jon Stewart, Who Long Ago Declared COVID Came From Wuhan Lab, Rips Critics

Stephen Colbert

Wuhan Institute of Virology

Late-night host Stephen Colbert mocked the claim from the Department of Energy that a lab leak in China was likely responsible for the origin of the COVID pandemic.
The Department of Energy joined the FBI, which had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/26/us/politics/china-lab-leak-coronavirus-pandemic.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> with moderate confidence that COVID started accidentally from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
“The Department of Energy released a new report saying a lab leak is the most likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Colbert noted. “Well, there it is. Chinese wet markets, you’re off the hook. Let’s order a round of pangolin poppers for the table. I love a nice plate of wet apps.”
“Now, if like me, you’re wondering why the Department of Energy is the one making this judgment, it’s because that agency “oversees a network of U.S. national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research,” Colbert said, quoting <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-origin-china-lab-leak-807b7b0a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>, neglecting to add that the Journal prefaced that comment by writing that the Department “has considerable scientific expertise.”
“No! No! Bad Energy Department. No bio-labs until you finish building your electric car-charging stations. Stay in your lane,” Colbert snapped.
Colbert noted that four other federal agencies concluded that the pandemic was likely the result of natural transmission, then carped, “We’ll have more on this story as soon as anyone has anything they can prove.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Steve Colbert (<a href="https://twitter.com/StephenAtHome?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenAtHome</a>) attacks the Dept. of Energy for its investigation finding Covid likely came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology: &quot;Stay in your lane&quot; <a href="https://t.co/s50uYLZM3k">pic.twitter.com/s50uYLZM3k</a>
&mdash; Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1630535593934352384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In September 2021, Colbert tried to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSfejgwbDQ8">shoot down</a> Jon Stewart’s suggestion that the virus originated in Wuhan.
“Do you mean perhaps there’s a chance that this was created in a lab? There’s an investigation — “ Colbert asked.
“A chance?” Stewart mocked. “Oh my God.”
“If there’s evidence I’d love to hear,” Colbert told him.
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“There’s a novel respiratory coronavirus overtaking Wuhan, China. What do we do?” Stewart fired back. “Oh, you know who we could ask? The Wuhan Novel Respiratory Coronavirus Lab. The disease is the same name as the lab. That’s just a little too weird, don’t you think? And then the actual scientists are like, ‘How did this?’ So wait a minute, you work at the Wuhan Respiratory Coronavirus Lab. How did this happen? And they’re like, ‘A pangolin kissed a turtle?’”
“Oh, my God, there’s been an outbreak of chocolatey goodness near Hershey, Pennsylvania. What do you think happened?” Stewart continued. “Like, ‘Oh, I don’t know, maybe a steam shovel mated with a cocoa bean?’ Or it’s the f***ing chocolate factory!”
“It could be possible, you could be right,” Colbert said, before trying to rebut Stewart by saying, “It could be possible they have the lab in Wuhan to study the novel coronavirus diseases because in Wuhan there are a lot of novel coronavirus diseases because of the bat population.”
“I understand, it’s the local specialty,” Stewart replied. “And it’s the only place to find bats. You won’t find bats anywhere else. Oh, wait. Austin, Texas has thousands of ‘em that fly out of a cave every night. Every night at dusk. Is there a coronavirus, an Austin coronavirus?”
“And how long have you worked for Senator Ron Johnson,” Colbert tried lamely, referring to Johnson’s <a href="applewebdata://68E8BFB4-6349-4387-92AD-C27A397B4130/v">attempts</a> to obtain information about a possible connection between the Wuhan lab and the coronavirus.

Colbert Mocks Energy Department Saying Chinese Lab Leak Likely Started COVID

Department of Energy

Health

Left-leaning comedians are a dime a dozen.
It’s also true that some woke jokesters are more extreme than others. Stand-up stars may try to appeal to the widest audience, meaning they’ll dial it back on the partisan jokes. However, plenty of comedians have become activists, especially following the 2016 election.
Many comedians claim to have no explicit bias, saying they don’t belong to either party while technically espousing views that are way more liberal than conservative. Ahead, these are the most outspoken leftist comedians who currently think they’re hilarious.
<h3>Jon Stewart</h3>
Back in the late 90s, Stewart took over hosting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and quickly became one of the preeminent political comedy stars in the country. He was a satirist, but his young, liberal, male audience trusted him to tell the truth about what was going on in politics.
In a 2002 <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/02/11/is-it-funny-yet">interview</a> with The New Yorker, Stewart described himself as the voice of “the disenfranchised center.” But even then his politics leaned left. At one point the late night host called his beliefs more independent or socialist than Democrat.
Later, Stewart <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/show-tracker/story/2012-05-30/late-night-jon-stewart-clarifies-his-support-for-socialism">clarified</a> that while he doesn’t support “state control of industry or collectivizing farms,” he is in favor of the single-payer healthcare system and was a huge proponent of the Affordable Care Act.
Over the years, Stewart became more cynical and bitter and less funny. His new AppleTV+ show “The Problem With Jon Stewart” has mostly been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewarts-new-apple-tv-show-rumored-to-be-a-huge-flop-report">a ratings disaster</a> kept afloat solely because of nostalgic fans who miss “The Daily Show” and the ignorance of youth.
<h3>Jimmy Kimmel</h3>
Speaking of universal healthcare supporters, fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is yet another example of a leftist comedian. The 54-year-old “Jimmy Kimmel Live” star used the story of his son being born with a congenital heart condition to make the case for overhauling healthcare in the U.S.
“If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make,” he <a href="https://youtu.be/MmWWoMcGmo0">said</a> in 2017. “I think that’s something that whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?”
He’s also in favor of “common sense” gun laws, which he <a href="https://youtu.be/ruYeBXudsds">spoke</a> about following the Las Vegas shooting. 
“What I’m talking about tonight isn’t about gun control; it’s about common sense,” Kimmel said at the time. “Common sense says no good will ever come from allowing a person to have weapons that can take down 527 Americans at a concert. Common sense says you don’t let those who suffer from mental illness buy guns.”
<h3>John Oliver</h3>
Emmy Award winner John Oliver is British but has become a staple on American television thanks to stints on “The Daily Show” and the HBO series “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Though he’s not originally from this country, Oliver endorsed Joe Biden for president and openly celebrated his and Kamala Harris&#8217;s win in the 2020 US presidential election. He described Donald Trump’s defeat as a “reverse 9/11” because of all the celebrating in the city of Manhattan.
&#8220;It was like that all day here in New York,&#8221; he said, per <a href="https://www.distractify.com/p/john-oliver-political-views">Distractify</a>. &#8220;There was a mood here that can only be described as a reverse 9/11. Why? Because it combined complete euphoria, an abiding disgust for Rudy Giuliani, and this time people actually were dancing on the rooftops in New Jersey. It was a really good day. Never forget.&#8221;
In 2021, Oliver <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hbo-host-john-oliver-calls-parents-opposed-to-school-mask-mandates-idiots">called</a> parents who opposed school mask mandates “idiots,” and said “We are only fighting about masks in school right now because there are a bunch of foolish adults who have decided not to get the vaccine, and to all of them, I can only say, to quote a bunch of upsettingly loud idiots, ‘We know who you are, and you’re the f***ing problem.’”
<h3>Samantha Bee</h3>
It may be controversial to describe Samantha Bee as a comedian seeing as how very few people find her funny. But the far-left activist has certainly expressed her feelings on a wide range of topics such as gender theory and women’s rights.
“This year, we’re seeing a tidal wave of transphobic legislation targeting kids, largely in retaliation for President Biden’s executive order to protect trans rights,” she said, telling conservatives to “mind their own f***ing business” when it came to protecting female sports, per <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-samantha-bee-tells-republicans-to-stop-transphobic-bills-and-mind-their-own-fing-business">The Daily Wire</a>. 
“They falsely claim trans women automatically have more testosterone and therefore more muscle mass than cis women,” Bee continued. “But studies don’t show a consistent relationship between testosterone and athletic performance.”
The comedian accused Republicans of “fear-mongering” in regard to trans sports debates just like they did with bathroom bills.
<h3>Lewis Black</h3>
No one seems angrier than a screaming Lewis Black, who made his brand of “rage comedy” into a recognizable brand. He’s also a <a href="https://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/dp-xpm-20130920-2013-09-20-dp-fea-lewis-black-0920-20130920-story.html">self-described</a> socialist who has no love for either party but is pro-gun control and pro-healthcare reform. Basically, Black hates everyone – especially Republicans.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve done something with these two political parties that really is unbelievable. No other country has done it. No other country,” he <a href="https://www.wpr.org/comedian-lewis-blacks-conundrum-how-do-you-satirize-satirical">observed</a> during a standup act last year. “We used to have parties that argued ideas. Not anymore. Now we have two separate political parties that actually exist in two totally different realities.&#8221;
That’s one thing this left-leaning comedian gets absolutely right.
<h3>David Cross</h3>
Best known for his role on “Arrested Development,” David Cross is also a leftist who is happy to bring politics into his standup routine, even if it means people walking out of his shows all the time. During a 2016 <a href="https://www.avclub.com/david-cross-on-why-his-comedy-tour-pissed-off-people-ri-1798250771">interview</a> with The A.V. Club, the comedian described himself as, “more socialist Democrat” than a “centrist” like Hillary Clinton.
“I think regulation for banks and those platforms that Bernie Sanders had are good for the whole of America. I’m not going to benefit from free college education, but I think all those things are good for the country,” he said.
<h3>Sarah Silverman</h3>
Like so many others, Sarah Silverman became especially political during the 2016 election, aggressively campaigning first for Bernie Sanders and then accepting Hillary Clinton as her next best option. She supported Sanders again in 2020.
Silverman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, though she said she’s become increasingly fed up with both parties.
“I just, I don’t know that I want to be associated with any party. I really, I think I don’t want to be associated with any party anymore,” Silverman told <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2021/03/15/sarah-silverman-is-right-democrats-are-the-party-of-absolutism/">viewers</a> in 2021. “It just, it comes with too much baggage. Every party, it comes with so much f***ing baggage that no ideas can be taken at face value.”

92nd Street Y Presents: Nell Scovell In Conversation With John Oliver

No Longer Dialing It Back: 7 Woke Comedians Possessed By Politics

comedian

Jimmy Kimmel

John Oliver

Readers Pass

Samantha Bee

Sarah Silverman

Hollywood’s love affair with free speech ended some time after Donald Trump took the oath of office.
Slowly but surely the industry pulled back on the issue it once clung to like a statue on Oscar night. Industry players pled allegiance to the woke state, canceled problematic art (and each other), and demanded that a sitting president get bounced from social media.
Late night comics even chuckled as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/dr-seuss-stephen-colbert-late-show-racist-b1811462.html">beloved authors like Dr. Seuss</a> got the cultural boot.
It wasn’t always this way.
Hollywood once championed free speech on a variety of platforms. The industry understood the vital role speech plays in both the country at large and for their craft. Let’s look back at five times Hollywood embraced free speech and hope Tinsel Town comes to its senses and renews its love affair with free expression.
<h4>“The American President”</h4>
The 1995 rom com imagined a single U.S. leader falling in love with a lobbyist (Annette Bening). That novel twist combined with the impressive pairing of director Rob Reiner (“This Is Spinal Tap”) and writer Aaron Sorkin (“A Few Good Men”) earned raves from critics.
The film’s emotional finale used free speech as <a href="https://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechtheamericanpresident.html">a cudgel against the protagonist’s political opponent.</a>
<blockquote>&#8220;For the record, yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU, but the more important question is &#8220;Why aren&#8217;t you, Bob?&#8221;
…America isn&#8217;t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You&#8217;ve gotta want it bad, &#8217;cause it&#8217;s gonna put up a fight. It&#8217;s gonna say, You want free speech? Let&#8217;s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who&#8217;s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.&#8221; </blockquote>
Reiner and Sorkin were, and remain, two of Hollywood’s most outspoken liberals. Would they pool their talents for a message like that today? That’s rhetorical, since Reiner was one of many <a href="https://twitter.com/robreiner/status/1400875366047043585?lang=bg">cheering President Donald Trump’s social media banishment.</a>
Guess we won’t be seeing &#8220;The American President 2” anytime soon.
<h4>Neil Young&#8217;s 2006 “Freedom of Speech” Tour</h4>
It’s an understatement to say that veteran rocker Neil Young was <a href="https://genius.com/3351240">no fan</a> of President George W. Bush during the Iraq War days And he had plenty of A-list company. Young similarly rebelled against efforts to silence the president’s critics during a time of war.
Toward that end, <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2022/02/02/crosby-stills-nash-young-csny-spotify-boycott-joe-rogan">Young rejoined</a> David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash to promote free speech and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/flashback-neil-young-participated-freedom-of-speech-tour-censorship-joe-rogan">reaffirm his right to protest as he saw fit</a>.
<blockquote>&#8220;Those who feel the way we do had some hope and those who don’t feel the way we do were angry that the change happened. And those people have got a voice, and they have a reason for feeling the way they do. They strongly believe in the convictions. They believe in the military … they believe that we’re doing the right thing for the world, and they have every reason to be respected for their beliefs.”</blockquote>
Flash forward to 2022 and Young is leading an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/just-in-spotify-to-pull-neil-young-music-after-ultimatum-letter-demanding-rogan-be-removed">unsuccessful charge to silence</a> Spotify superstar Joe Rogan for sharing pandemic information that didn’t mirror government-approved narratives.
<h4>Tim Robbins versus Dubya</h4>
Young wasn’t the only liberal rallying for free speech during that era. Actor Tim Robbins similarly <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Tim-Robbins-pours-his-anger-into-an-anti-war-play-2510013.php">protested</a> Bush’s war efforts, a move that <a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2003/0409/1536711.html">cost</a> him an appearance at a “Bull Durham” reunion.
The 1988 baseball romance cast Robbins as “Nuke” LaLoosh, a flame-throwing pitcher struggling to get his mental approach in line with his talents. His anti-war comments, along with those of his co-star Susan Sarandon (Robbins’ partner at the time), convinced the Baseball Hall of Fame to <a href="https://ew.com/article/2003/04/10/cooperstown-disinvites-antiwar-sarandon-robbins/">disinvite the duo from its 15th anniversary celebration</a> for the film.
Robbins teamed up with the ACLU, an organization which once stood proudly on behalf of free speech rights, to <a href="https://www.nyclu.org/en/letter-baseball-hall-fame-over-cancellation-bull-durham-movie-anniversary-celebration">blast the decision</a>. The move “reflects a disregard for the value of dissent in a free society. Indeed, you offer a vision of free speech that is deeply incompatible with the concept of ‘uninhibited, robust and wide open’ debate – a concept that is basic to our democracy.”
<h4>Comedy Post 9/11</h4>
Comedians played an important role in the days and weeks after the September 11 attacks. “Saturday Night Live” and “The Late Show with David Letterman” gently <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/how-late-night-tv-reacted-9-11-impact-it-has-t229754">brought humor back </a>into our lives after the shocking terrorist attacks. They made it acceptable to laugh again after so much heartache and pain.
Other comics didn’t tread so carefully. They pushed comedy conventions much harder, understanding that free speech doesn’t evaporate in times of extreme duress. Hollywood even made a documentary on the subject – “Too Soon: Comedy After 9/11.” Comedians from that era shared how they processed their grief and rage, and why they didn’t pull punches when it came to material intersecting with the tragedy.
They were right.
The extreme irony? Some of the comedians featured in the documentary are now part of the current cancel culture brigade <a href="https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1278-canceled-comedy-w-kliph-nesteroff-and-david-bianculli">(Marc Maron</a>) or pretend cancel culture  doesn’t exist (<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jon-stewart-cancel-culture-myth/">Jon Stewart</a>).
<h4>“The People vs. Larry Flynt”</h4>
The 1996 drama from legendary director Milos Forman celebrated the rise, fall, and legal victory of Hustler pornographer Larry Flynt.
The New York Times called it Forman’s “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/22/movies/a-free-speech-hero-it-s-not-that-simple.html">raucous hymn to the First Amendment</a>.”
<blockquote>The movie, shown to acclaim at the New York Film Festival this fall and opening in theaters on Friday, has been critically embraced not only as an artistic tour de force but as a kind of democratic morality play.</blockquote>
Flynt was the perfect symbol for free speech. He was rude, crude and outrageous, and few would embrace his lifestyle choices. Yet defending speech one agrees with is always easy. Rushing to Flynt’s side, given his vulgar behavior, is another matter.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Toto – Five Times Hollywood Cheered Free Speech

Five Times Hollywood Defended Free Speech

Aaron Sorkin

ACLU

Neil Young

Rob Reiner

Susan Sarandon

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jon-stewart">Jon Stewart</a> and conservative journalist Jack Posobiec had heated words over a controversially crafted bill that would provide funds for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/veterans">sick veterans</a>, but managed to hug it out moments later.
The former late-night funny man and the Navy intelligence officer-turned journalist have been sparring on Twitter for days over a bill intended to provide $400 billion for veterans who suffered a wide range of ailments from exposure to burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Republicans have objected to the bill because they say House Democrats used an accounting trick that the Congressional Budget Office said could add a minimum of $275 billion in unrelated spending over the next decade.
When Posobiec and Stewart met up in Washington Monday, it was on.
&#8220;These people have suffered for 15 years!&#8221; Stewart shouted at Posobiec, pointing a finger in his face.
Posobiec, who stayed calm, asked Stewart why he was attacking him, given that they both unquestionably support health care for veterans.
&#8220;Because you&#8217;re a f&#8212;ing troll!&#8221; yelled back Stewart, who has advocated for veterans sickened by burn pits on Capitol Hill.
The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, passed the Senate in June, but had to go through again after House Democrats made key changes. Senate Republicans last Wednesday filibustered the <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/gop-senators-block-bill-veterans-toxins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measure</a>, effectively blocking it. Their reason is an added Democratic provision they say would move appropriated funds from discretionary to mandatory spending. Mandatory expenditures would no longer fall under annual appropriations and could conceivably be renewed automatically every year with little or no oversight, say Republicans.
Posobiec has spent much of the last week trying to make this point to Stewart on Twitter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jon Stewart is Unhinged. Watch him scream and swear in <a href="https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackPosobiec</a>’s face.
 <a href="https://t.co/AWGRB0rHwK">pic.twitter.com/AWGRB0rHwK</a>
&mdash; Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1554169156194516993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, have also been making the case that the GOP supports the aid to veterans but not under the new terms proposed by Democrats. Sen. <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/pat-toomey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pat Toomey</a> (R-PA) said Sunday that he would vote for the legislation if the gimmick can be cut. He proposed an amendment that would put guardrails on the $400 billion, satisfying GOP concerns and potentially allowing the bill to move forward.
&#8220;What I want to do is treat it for government accounting purposes the way we have always treated it for government accounting purposes, because if we change it to the way that the Democrats want, it creates room in future budgets for $400 billion of totally unrelated extraneous spending on other matters,&#8221; Toomey <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/jon-stewart-clashes-cruz-over-burn-pits-bill">said</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I actually give props to Stewart for coming around to doing the right thing here after his ridiculous outburst. Few people can climb down, and we need more of that. <a href="https://t.co/CaHAgQvdKt">https://t.co/CaHAgQvdKt</a>
&mdash; Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) <a href="https://twitter.com/Heminator/status/1554172755628756994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Later in the day, Posobiec and Stewart buried the hatchet in a scene also caught on video.
&#8220;Jon Stewart and I have decided to come to an agreement, have we not, Jon?&#8221; Posobiec asked.
&#8220;Yes sir,&#8221; said Stewart. &#8220;I lost my temper a little bit, I felt like I was being trolled, and I realized the important thing is just got to get this done for these guys, and get them over the finish line to get them the health care they need.&#8221;
The bill would establish a presumption that military service caused 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers related to the smoke from burn pits, fire pits used in war zones to dispose of various types of waste, many of them toxic.
</div>

WATCH: Jon Stewart, Jack Posobiec Fight, Bury Hatchet Over Vet Burn Pit Relief

House Democrats

U.S. Senate

Veterans

After comedian Jon Stewart <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1552688111347552256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1552688111347552256%7Ctwgr%5E9c21daeff6e7770e26ed9bcdbd7a65b8a62ddeb3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollingstone.com%2Fpolitics%2Fpolitics-news%2Fjon-stewart-blasts-gop-over-vote-against-vets-1389372%2F">ripped</a> Senate Republicans as “mother***ers” and singled out Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) as a “f***ing coward” for temporarily blocking a bill because Democrats wanted to sneak $400 billion in discretionary funding into the bill, Toomey responded on Sunday by pointedly targeting Stewart’s sense of self-importance.
Stewart had hysterically ranted against Toomey after he and other GOP senators temporarily blocked the passage of the PACT Act, which expands healthcare benefits for veterans and 9/11 first responders who had been exposed to such as toxins found in burn pits.
“First of all, this is the oldest trick in Washington,” Toomey told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “People take a sympathetic group of Americans — and it could be children with an illness; it could be victims of crime; it could be veterans who&#8217;ve been exposed to toxic chemicals — craft a bill to address their problems, and then sneak in something completely unrelated that they know could never pass on its own and dare Republicans to do anything about it, because they know they will unleash their allies in the media and maybe a pseudo-celebrity to make up false accusations to try to get us to just swallow what shouldn&#8217;t be there.”
Stewart had also attacked Toomey by railing, “God knows what pot of gold he’s stepping into to lobby this government to s*** on more people.” He noted that the bill had been passed on June 14, then continued ranting of Toomey, “he is a f***ing coward,” mocking him as “Patriot Pat Toomey.”
Regarding the charge that the bill had been passed in mid-June, Toomey told Tapper how the Democrats were manipulating the situation: “We were promised that we&#8217;d have an opportunity to offer an amendment to change this. And then, of course, that was reneged on, so people hadn&#8217;t had a chance to be socialized about this.”
“Let me be very clear,” Toomey continued. “Republicans are not opposed to any of the substance of the PACT Act. &#8230; My honest Democratic colleagues will fully acknowledge that my objection, and if I get my way, I get my change, it will not change by one penny any spending on any veterans program. What I&#8217;m trying to do is change a government accounting methodology that is designed to allow our Democratic colleagues to go on an unrelated $400 billion spending spree that has nothing to do with veterans and that won&#8217;t be in the veterans space.”
“We can resolve this with an amendment vote,” Toomey noted. “But some of the Democrats don&#8217;t even want to have an amendment vote. &#8230; There&#8217;s some Democrats that simply want to say, no, you don&#8217;t get to change anything. We don&#8217;t have any more debate. We don&#8217;t have amendments. We&#8217;re just going to jam this through. So that&#8217;s the source of the tension.”
“This is why they do this sort of thing, Jake, because it gets very deep in the weeds and very confusing for people very quickly,” Toomey pointed out. “It&#8217;s not really about veterans spending. It&#8217;s about what category of government bookkeeping they put the veterans spending in. &#8230; What I want to do is treat it for government accounting purposes the way we have always treated it for government accounting purposes, because, if we change it to the way that the Democrats want, it creates room in future budgets for $400 billion of totally unrelated extraneous spending on other matters.”

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Jon Stewart Calls GOP Sen. Pat Toomey ‘F***ing Coward.’ Toomey Mocks Him: ‘Pseudo-Celebrity’

Pat Toomey

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