On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver discussed the president’s evolving defense of his son Donald Trump Jr and the first days of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s trial.

“We begin with yet another development in the scandal that we’ve been calling Stupid Watergate,” said Oliver. “Like Watergate, except instead of the inspiring Oscar-winning movies, it’ll eventually be the basis of direct-to-cable comedies featuring fart jokes and Larry the Cable Guy.”

“With investigators seemingly closing in on multiple fronts,” he continued, “the president this week was apparently worried.”

Oliver then showed news coverage explaining that Trump, who has thus far maintained his son’s innocence, is now worried Trump Jr inadvertently “wandered into legal jeopardy” with his contacts with Russian nationals during the 2016 campaign, specifically the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting.

“That seems pretty possible, to be honest,” Oliver said. “On the long list of things Don Jr is likely to wander into, legal jeopardy is right up there with the women’s dressing room and a screen door.”



Oliver then reported on Trump’s tweet over the weekend, in which he wrote: “Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics – and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!”

Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics - and it went nowhere. I did not know about it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018

The host shot back: “There’s so much wrong there, from the fact that it undermines the excuse he supposedly dictated that this meeting was about Russian adoptions, to claiming he didn’t know about it and, if he did, nothing happened. But perhaps the most galling line in there is describing Don Jr as a wonderful son. He’s barely the most wonderful Donald Trump!”



Oliver then moved on to discussing the criminal trial of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who he described as “a man who could be convicted of every single crime on earth and still not be as guilty as he looks”. Among Manafort’s 32 charges, a “mobster’s dozen”, as the host called it, are money laundering, tax evasion, obstruction of justice and bank fraud.

Looking back on history, who was treated worse, Alfonse Capone, legendary mob boss, killer and “Public Enemy Number One,” or Paul Manafort, political operative & Reagan/Dole darling, now serving solitary confinement - although convicted of nothing? Where is the Russian Collusion? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

Oliver went on to share Trump’s tweet in defense of Manafort, who he favorably compared to “legendary mob boss, killer and Public Enemy Number One” Al Capone.

“What?” the host asked, before sharing details revealed in court of Manafort’s lavish spending habits. “Broadly, I think the argument there is Paul Manafort’s less of a criminal than America’s most famous criminal.”