Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Jon Stewart Claps Back After GOP Sen. Who Voted Against Vet Benefits Calls Him A 'Pseudo-Celebrity'

Jon Stewart Claps Back After GOP Sen. Who Voted Against Vet Benefits Calls Him A 'Pseudo-Celebrity'
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images; Drew Angerer/Getty Images

After Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey referred to him as a "pseudo-celebrity," comedian Jon Stewart hit back by pointing to Toomey's recent vote against vital benefits for United States military veterans.

Toomey had earlier appeared on CNN to respond to criticisms about his vote to block a procedural vote that would clear a path for a vote on legislation to expand benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxins like burn pits in combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq.


Toomey accused Democrats of crafting a bill to address issues involving groups dealing with illnesses or crimes, saying they then sneak in something completely unrelated they know could never pass on its own, and "dare Republicans to do anything about it."

He added Democrats do this knowing with "a pseudo-celebrity to make up false accusations to try to get us to just swallow what shouldn't be there."

You can hear what Toomey said in the video below.

youtu.be

Toomey said:

"This is the oldest trick in Washington."
"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'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'll 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't be there."

Burn pits are a common waste disposal practice at military sites outside the United States but have been the subject of controversy because burning solid wastes in an open pit generates numerous pollutants that cause different types of cancers, respiratory disorders, high blood pressure, autoimmune disorders and even birth defects.

In June, the House and the Senate passed a bill known as the Honoring Our PACT Act with bipartisan support. However, issues with the bill's language prompted it to pass both legislative chambers again.

This time however, multiple Republican Senators reversed their support—and went so far as to congratulate themselves for denying veterans vital support.

Though Toomey never mentioned Stewart by name, he didn't have to.

Stewart was one of the more vocal "pseudo-celebrities" to speak out against Republicans who scuttled the legislation last week, at the time calling it "corruption at its finest."

And when he heard about Toomey's remarks, he certainly had something to say about it.

Writing on Twitter, Stewart told Toomey that he would "rather be a pseudo celeb than pseudo Senator."

In a follow-up tweet, Stewart said Toomey "never called for spending caps" on the war in Afghanistan, "only on the health care for veterans sickened by said wars."

Many concurred with Stewart's assessment and offered their own criticisms of Toomey.

The PACT Act needed 60 votes to advance. In the end, the vote was 55-42. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, changed his vote from yes to no in order to allow a future vote on the legislation.

There is no word yet on when the Senate, which leaves on a month-long recess next week, will vote on the bill again.

More from Trending

Lorne Michaels
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

Lorne Michaels Just Explained The Thinking Behind His Big 'Saturday Night Live' Cast Shakeup

Saturday Night Live turned 50 last year and a lot of former cast members and major celebrities joined in the season long celebration, but it's a new year and it's time to get back to business.

Which, with SNL, usually means some cast changes—out with the old (and sometimes not so old) and in with the new. Show creator and producer Lorne Michaels recently announced SNL would return on October 4 with a literal handful—five—cast changes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kari Lake; Charlie Kirk
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Kari Lake Slammed After Warning Parents Not To Send Their Kids To College After Charlie Kirk Murder

Speaking during a memorial service for far-right activist Charlie Kirk at the Kennedy Center, failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake—now the Trump administration's Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media—called U.S. colleges “indoctrination camps” and urged parents not to send their children.

Lake ignored the fact that Kirk was killed while speaking at a college, in this case Utah Valley University (UVU), the largest university by enrollment in Utah.

Keep ReadingShow less
JD Vance; Charlie Kirk
Real America's Voice

Vance Claims Kirk Never Insulted Black Women's 'Brain Processing Power'—And Here Come The Receipts

Vice President JD Vance served as host of the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk's podcast this week and was called out after claiming Kirk "never uttered" words about the "brain processing power" of Black women—even though Kirk said as much in 2023.

Vance made the claim after Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah—a Black woman—said she was dismissed from the paper following social media posts on gun control and race after Kirk’s assassination.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Swiftly Fact-Checked After Making Bonkers Claim About How Many Americans Died From Drugs Last Year

President Donald Trump was criticized after attempting to justify the bombing of a suspected Venezuelan drug boat by asserting that 300 million people died from drugs last year.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump was asked about the order he gave earlier this month to destroy a boat he suspected of transporting drugs off the coast of Venezuela, rather than simply intercepting it. All 11 people on board the boat were killed.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman's hand hold up a pink paper constructed heart that is on fire.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

People Reveal The Pettiest Reasons They Stopped Hooking Up With Someone

Sex is a powerful weapon and a natural part of life.

But it can bamboozle and surprise you.

Keep ReadingShow less