Play of the Day: The Russian Spy Who Didn't Get The Proper Permissions
Maria Butina was charged with operating as a foreign agent by the Department of Justice.
According to a watchdog report, Secret Service protection for Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump cost taxpayers $250,000 at one point in 2017. Late Night's Seth Meyers joked about the news, saying that the cost could be lower if we just kept the two from eating Tide Pods.
Russian citizen Maria Butina was charged last week by the Department of Justice "of working with Americans to carry out a secret Russian effort to influence American politics" according to the New York Times. Her alleged spying operation included infiltrating the NRA and Republican politics, prompting The Daily Show's Trevor Noah to question her backstory of being a retired furniture store owner. Late Show's Stephen Colbert noted that the charges included acting "as an agent of the Russian Federation… without prior notification of the Attorney General," joking that spying and meddling in the election would ok if "you get the Attorney General to sign a permission slip."