The U.S. Secret Service opened an investigation into comedian John Mulaney over jokes believed to be made about President Donald Trump on 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� last year, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
Mulaney, 38, revealed last month that the Secret Service had investigated the comedian and 鈥淪NL鈥� alum for 鈥渋nappropriate jokes about President Trump鈥� after he made a joke about Roman dictator Julius Caesar, who was stabbed to death by a group of senators on the Ides of March.
The file obtained by the AP through Freedom of Information Act request showed the bureau contacted NBC but did not interview the comedian for its inquiry, which found no wrongdoing.
鈥淎nother 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,鈥� Mulaney said to laughter from the audience.
The joke was said during Mulaney鈥檚 opening monologue during the 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� broadcast on Feb. 29, 2020.
The Secret Service noted other remarks during the monologue, including: 鈥淚 asked my lawyer if I could make that joke, he said, let me call another lawyer, and that lawyer said yes. I don鈥檛 dwell on politics, but I dislike the Founding Fathers immensely. ... I hate when people are like, God has never created such a great group of men than the Founding Fathers. Yeah, the 鈥�92 Bulls. ... That鈥檚 a perfect metaphor for the United States. When I was a boy, the United States was like Michael Jordan in 1992. Now the United States it like Michael Jordan now.鈥�
Two days after Mulaney鈥檚 鈥淪NL鈥� monologue, law enforcement officials contacted Thomas McCarthy, the global chief security officer and senior
The Secret Service file included a report from Breitbart entitled, 鈥淪NL: John Mulaney Jokes that Senators Should Stab Trump Like Julius Caesar.鈥� The investigation into Mulaney was opened in March and closed in December, five days after the comedian revealed the investigation during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel.
The Secret Service file notes that Mulaney made no direct threats towards Trump.
鈥淭he person vetting me was very understanding that the joke had nothing to do with Donald Trump because it was an elliptical reference to him,鈥� Mulaney said to Kimmel. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 say anything about him. In terms of risk assessment, no one who鈥檚 ever looked at me thought I registered above a one.鈥�
He added: 鈥淚 said I have been making jokes about him since 2007, so I have been making fun of him for 13 years,鈥� Mulaney said. 鈥淭hey said if it鈥檚 a joke, then I am cleared by the Secret Service.鈥�
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LaPorta reported from Delray Beach, Florida.
James Laporta, The Associated Press
