Due to his Catholic schooling, Stephen Colbert knows the bible inside and out, and this knowledge came in handy on Thursday, July 14, when he excoriated Jeff Sessions on The Late Show.
During a meeting with religious leaders in Indiana earlier that morning, the Attorney General justified his justice department's decision to separate immigrant children from their parents at the U.S./Mexican border by citing a specific passage in the Bible.
Sessions insists illegal entry to the U.S. is a crime and obstinately believes those in violation should be prosecuted (even if it means taking away their children).
I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.
Colbert took the opportunity to bash Sessions for his lowbrow bible reference.
This is the conversation everybody should be having. Attorney General and 'man daydreaming about legally changing his name to Jim Crow' Jeff Sessions has instituted a new policy to separate immigrant kids from their parents at the border.
The Late Show host mentioned that 1,358 families were torn apart at the Mexican border.
Now if that sounds evil, then good news, your ears are working.
Sessions from earlier that Thursday morning at the meeting with religious leaders.
Colbert expressed concern that our government is sending this bleak message to all U.S. visitors:
If you come to the United States, the worst thing imaginable will happen to you. We will take your children away from you, with no guarantee you'll see them again. That is using cruelty as a deterrent. That is not my interpretation. And listen to how they're doing it. Public defenders in the area say federal officials are telling parents they are taking their children away for a baths...only to never return with them. Clearly, no decent human being could defend that. So Jeff Sessions did.
Absolutely abominable.(The Late Show With Stephen Colbert/YouTube)
He showed the audience a clip of Sessions's ill-advised comment from Thursday (where Sessions implied that taking children away from their families is God's work).
Hey, don't bring God into this. First of all, I don't think God picked you, because I don't worship Vladimir Putin. And, the only thing in the Bible close to this is a king threatening to cut a baby in two, and he was joking.
Colbert confirmed that Romans 13 implies that "you gotta have laws," but if Sessions read a little further to Romans 13:10, he would have discovered this lovely reminder:
Love thy neighbor as yourself… Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Jeff Sessions missed this part. (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert/YouTube)
On the occasion of Father's Day, Colbert urged viewers to call their elected representatives and "demand they do something." He concluded the segment by riffing off of Samantha Bee's controversial use of an expletive to describe Ivanka Trump.
I sincerely believe that it doesn't matter who you voted for. If we let this happen in our name, we are a feckless… country.
Twitter agreed with the part about taking initiative.
How did we veer so far off course since this time of unity and goodwill?
Colbert's segment resonated with many people.
H/T - DailyBeast, YouTube, Twitter