During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in early December, comedian John Mulaney told Kimmel that he was investigated by the Secret Service after telling a joke about assassinating Donald Trump during his Saturday Night Live monologue on February 29, 2020. That investigation has now been confirmed by the Associated Press after the news organization obtained a copy of the file on Mulaney through a Freedom of Information Act request. According to the report, investigators contacted the global chief security officer and senior vice president of NBC two days after Mulaney delivered his monologue. The agents hoped to reach the comedian and speak to him about the following joke that was transcribed in the report. Via the AP:
“Another thing that happened under Julius Caesar, he was such a powerful maniac that all the senators grabbed knives, and they stabbed him to death. That would be an interesting thing if we brought that back now,” Mulaney said to laughter from the audience.
Ultimately, Mulaney was cleared of wrongdoing as it was evident that he was telling a joke and not actually attempting to incite an assassination attempt on the (now-)former president. The report also notes that Mulaney was never even contacted by investigators who chose not to interview him. This contradicts what Mulaney told Kimmel back in December, but in hindsight, it’s clear that the comedian was setting up a bit by claiming he talked to agents on the phone.
“I failed to realize that after telling the Secret Service they had nothing else to worry about that I had leased an apartment for one year in Washington D.C. and that apartment was across the street from the Secret Service building,” Mulaney told Kimmel. “So, it had a planned vibe to it.”
(Via Associated Press)
Source: https://uproxx.com/tv/john-mulaney-secret-service-investigation-trump-joke-snl-monologue/