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- "SNL" and late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel mocked Trump during his presidency.
- In 2019, Trump tweeted that federal agencies should probe those shows, but a new report shows he went further.
- He asked advisors how the DOJ, FCC, and US courts could challenge the shows, The Daily Beast reported.
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Former President Donald Trump asked advisors and lawyers to look into how "Saturday Night Live" and other late-night shows could be punished after they mocked him, The Daily Beast's Asawin Suebsaeng and Adam Rawnsley reported.
Two sources told the outlet that Trump asked aides in 2019 to look at what the Federal Communications Commission, US courts, and the Department of Justice could do about "SNL" and other shows, like "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
Trump had tweeted in March 2019 that he wanted federal agencies to investigate "SNL."
"It's truly incredible that shows like Saturday Night Live, not funny/no talent, can spend all of their time knocking the same person (me), over & over, without so much of a mention of 'the other side,'" he said at the time.
"Should Federal Election Commission and/or FCC look into this? There must be Collusion with the Democrats and, of course, Russia!"
The Daily Beast report is the first report that Trump took further action on the matter.
Sources told the outlet that Trump had to be repeatedly told that the shows are satire, meaning they were protected, and that Trump was disappointed that there was no way he could legally challenge them.
This would be not be the first instance of Trump attempting to use federal agencies to pursue personal vendettas while he was in office. Last week House lawmakers released emails from December 2020 showing how the Trump White House tried to weaponize the DOJ in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.