John Mulaney, a comedian and former writer for NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” said Tuesday he was questioned by the Secret Service over an assassination joke he made on the TV show in February.
Mr. Mulaney said during a TV interview that he was investigated by the Secret Service for a joke he made during the opening monologue he delivered while hosting “SNL” on Leap Day, Feb. 29.
“Leap Year began in the year 45 B.C. under Julius Caesar. This is true. He started the Leap Year in order to correct the calendar and we still do it to this day,” Mr. Mulaney had said on “SNL.”
“Another thing that happened under Julius Caesar was he was such a powerful maniac that all the senators grabbed knives and they stabbed him to death,” Mr. Mulaney continued. “That’d be an interesting thing if we brought that back now.”
Mr. Mulaney, 38, said immediately after the joke that he cleared it with two lawyers before deciding to tell it on the show. Now he claims it ultimately attracted unwanted scrutiny anyway.
Appearing on ABC’S “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Mr. Mulaney noted he never mentioned President Trump in the joke and merely stated that a stabbing by senators is “an interesting thing” that could happen.
“What also happened was, there’s a service that operates for the president, and they’re secret. They’re a secret service,” Mr. Mulaney said. “They investigated me, and I guess they opened a file on me because of the joke.”
Mr. Mulaney, a self-described Democrat, added he was questioned by the Secret Service, including about whether he ever posted any online rants of manifestos regarding the Republican president.
“I have to say, am I stoked there’s a file open on me? Absolutely. Did I enjoy it in the moment? Not so much,” Mr. Mulaney said.
“But the person vetting me was very understanding that the joke had nothing to do with Donald Trump because it was an elliptical reference to him,” he added. “I didn’t say anything about him.”
Mr. Mulaney said the agency determined he did not pose a threat and told him he was cleared.
The Secret Service told The Washington Times that it does not discuss protective operations as a matter of practice.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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