Following the conclusion of Friday’s edition of Real Time, the “Overtime” discussion focused on the conviction of former Trump associate Roger Stone and the President’s desire to have the Supreme Court block the release of his tax returns. An exasperated Bill Maher said he was “shitting in my pants” over a possible Trump second term. He frantically declared, “Why can’t someone do a covert action and just steal them? I mean...it’s on a microfiche. You can put it in your underwear.”
One of the guests, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, expressed disappointment that despite people in Trump’s inner circle facing prison sentences, President Trump himself has not yet had a “moment of reckoning” while both Bruni and host Bill Maher wondered why his tax returns have “not been leaked.”
At the beginning of the discussion on Stone’s conviction, Fox News contributor and former acting Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee Donna Brazile was quite gleeful about Stone’s fate, proclaiming “I hope he roasts in hell.” Even Maher appeared shocked by her strong tone.
Later, the panel freaked out about the possibility of Trump’s acquittal in the Senate; with Bruni declaring “God help us if he’s re-elected because if he acts like this in his first term...imagine the second term...he’s trying to break the country, he’s not competent…at it but he might get it right in eight years.” Maher seemed to share Bruni’s concerns: “Believe me, I am shitting my pants every day about that...because he’s a vindictive person.”
As the “Overtime” segment came to a close, the panel focused on Trump’s tax returns. Bruni asked “why have they not been leaked?” Maher replied: “I don’t know, why aren’t they? Why can’t someone do a covert action and just steal them? I mean...it’s on a microfiche. You can put it in your underwear.” It looks like Maher and the panel think that the release of the President’s tax returns will enable him to receive “the moment of reckoning” that they so desperately pine for.
A transcript of the relevant portion of Friday’s edition of Real Time: Overtime is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Real Time With Bill Maher: Overtime
11/15/19
11:00 PM
BILL MAHER: All right. Here we are, folks. Ian, did anything good come out of Erdogan’s visit to America?
IAN BREMMER: Well, the fact that you actually had a bunch of Republican Senators right behind Trump who were giving no sway on the Russian missile system he’s bringing in, on the sanctions that they’re going to keep. I mean, Trump wants to pretend that he’s his buddy. What we’ve seen with all these dictators Trump wants to cozy up with is the American system still works, it actually stops the President from doing what he wants to do.
MAHER: Okay. Will…
(APPLAUSE)
MAHER: Will President Trump pardon Roger Stone? Uh, not before the election would be my guess.
DONNA BRAZILE: Well, he’s going to be sentenced on February 6. I hope he roasts in hell.
MAHER: Whoa!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
MAHER: Easy, easy, easy, easy.
BRAZILE: That…
MAHER: Whoa, whoa.
BRAZILE: That…that, that son of a bitch.
MAHER: Ooh! Hold my beer.
BRAZILE: Worked with WikiLeaks to…
MAHER: Yeah.
BRAZILE: …destroy…
MAHER: Yeah.
BRAZILE: …not just Democrats…
MAHER: Yeah.
BRAZILE: …but to destroy our democracy. So, I hope he roasts in hell. And I wish I’m at the sentencing hearing because I’m going to wear the best looking red dress I could and say “Go to hell.”
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BRAZILE: Not jail! Anybody who sits down…
MAHER: Wow.
BRAZILE: …and…and try to work with a foreign government that is trying to destroy our country, destroy our candidate. Yeah, they…they worked to destroy Hillary Clinton, they worked to sow discord between Hillary and Bernie. And yes, they took our e-mails, took our personal information. And then they turned against us and threatened our lives and harassed us. Go to f***ing jail.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BRAZILE: Go to jail! Go to hell. I’ve never been so proud of the jurors. Hell yeah, thank God I wasn’t on that damn jury. You just woke me up. Shit, how do you wake me up like this?
(LAUGHTER)
BRAZILE: I can’t stand that son of a bitch.
(LAUGHTER)
BRAZILE: Bill, I’m never hateful.
(LAUGHTER)
BRAZILE: No, I have a lot of love. I’m going to have to really work hard…
MAHER: Well, I…
BRAZILE: …on forgiving him.
MAHER: …never is a strong word.
BRAZILE: Look, I have to work very hard to forgive him. Jaime knows where I’m coming from.
JAIME HARRISON: Yeah, I…I hear you.
BRAZILE: They, they, they threatened us. They went after us and he understood what was at stake. And they…and you saw what the testimony said. They were gleeful. Screw them.
HARRISON: Yeah. It’s true.
BRAZILE: The bunch of bastards…
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BRAZILE: They were gleeful.
HARRISON: Well, you know, he was best friends with Lee Atwater.
MAHER: Wait, let her say something about Roger Stone. Finish your thought.
(LAUGHTER)
MAHER: No, I’m kidding. Go ahead.
HARRISON: No, I mean, he was close with Lee Atwater. So, you know, birds of a feather.
MAHER: Yeah. You…he took pride in being a dirty trickster.
FRANK BRUNI: I share her jubilation about Roger Stone’s conviction, but it’s way eclipsed by frustration. Right? So, Paul Manafort has had his moment of reckoning. Same for Michael Cohen. Now, Roger Stone. When does Donald Trump’s moment of reckoning come?
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
MAHER: I wouldn’t count on it.
BRUNI: My frus…my frustration about that way eclipses my jubilation about justice being served to Roger Stone.
MAHER: Well, and…you know, not to always be the person who’s looking for doom and gloom, but that’s one reason why he can’t leave because his choice is either stay in power or go to jail.
(CROSSTALK)
MAHER: That’s…I mean, this is what happens in Third World countries and…
BRAZILE: And it’s tough.
MAHER: …dictatorships. You’ve got to stay in office or…those are the only two choices. It is ex…existential.
BRAZILE: And it’s tough to beat an incumbent when the economy is good.
MAHER: And he’s got tons of money. I don’t think people realize this.
BRAZILE: Oh.
MAHER: He has raised so much money, there’s way more than the Democrats.
BREMMER: Your point that he wouldn’t leave, certainly willingly, if he loses. But there’s also the question of when he is acquitted. He is going to believe, rightfully, given the process…
MAHER: Right.
BREMMER: …that he can continue to interfere.
MAHER: Oh, he’s going to run on it.
BREMMER: Right, well, I’m…and nor is he going…
MAHER: Yeah.
BREMMER: …to, to actually ensure the security of elections vis-a-vis external forces like the Russians. So, I mean, there are a lot of people out there that are going to think that this 2020 election’s not legitimate…
MAHER: No, no.: He’s going to run on…
BREMMER: We need observers.
MAHER: …the Mueller Report didn’t get me. This didn’t get me. You never got me down, Ray. You never got me down. That’s what he’s going to run on.
BRUNI: God help…
MAHER: The Raging Bull.
BRUNI: God help us if he’s reelected because he acts like this in this first term. Imagine a second term.
MAHER: No, I know and he’s…
BRUNI: I mean, if he was…he’s trying to break the country, he’s not competent…
MAHER: Well, that’s…
BRUNI: …at it but he might get it right in eight years.
MAHER: No, I…
BRUNI: You know.
MAHER: Believe me, I am shitting in my pants every day about that. That…because he’s a vindictive person.
BRUNI: They make medicine for that.
MAHER: Yeah, I…I know.
BREMMER: The Japanese are all over it.
MAHER: And it’s actually legal in this state now.
(LAUGHTER)
MAHER: We’ll…
BRAZILE: Want to put some in my bowl?
BRUNI: You two, we got to…
(LAUGHTER)
BRUNI: I feel like…I feel like the three of us should go away…
HARRISON: We should go, yes.
BRUNI: …and let them have the table to themselves.
BRAZILE: I’ve known Bill so long, baby…I’ve been, I’ve been watching you, I’ve been touching you, I’ve been feeling you. Yeah. Yeah.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BRAZILE: Bill is my brother from another mother.
(LAUGHTER)
MAHER: Well, then we better not mess around if we’re brother and sister.
(LAUGHTER)
MAHER: Okay. All right.
(LAUGHTER)
MAHER: Will Trump be able to give the Supreme…get the Supreme Court to protect his tax returns from being released? Okay, that came out today. He’s taking it all the way to the Supreme Court. His tax returns. New York says we want them. I…I, I never thought this would be that hard. I didn’t think a guy could keep…even if he’s President, could keep tax returns secret. Because the IRS has them.
BRUNI: Yes.
MAHER: It’s not like they’re just in his safe.
BRUNI: Why have they not been leaked?
MAHER: I don’t know. Why? Why aren’t they? Why can’t someone do a…a covert action and…and just steal them or something? I mean, they got…they got the…it’s on a microfiche. You can put it in your underwear. The Pentagon Papers, they had to take out reams of…of actual paper. God damn it. Now you got me mad.
