Jon Stewart Spanks Congress for Its Sex Scandal Hypocrisy

Tonight on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart issued an equal opportunity slap on the wrist to members on both sides of the Congressional aisle for their party-driven, hypocritical responses to the sex scandals of colleagues. Inside, video of Stewart's remarks.

Stewart began his segment by replaying the infamous "It was my 50th birthday!" statement by former Congressman Eric Massa (it's pretty much obligatory at this point) before airing remarks by House Minority Leader John Boehner, in which Boehner suggests that those privy to the "tickle party" accusations against Massa should be held accountable for not speaking up sooner. But, wait, what's that? Boehner previously defended Dennis Hastert for not speaking up about Mark Foley's electronic liaisons with Congressional pages? Oh...

By the way, do you know who was just OUTRAGED at Hastert's silence four years ago? Nancy Pelosi, natch. Oh, what? Pelosi downplayed the seriousness of the allegations about Massa in a statement last week, even though she admitted there were "rumors" about the sexual harassment allegations against him? How funny!

This type of hypocrisy isn't limited to just the House, though—it's rampant in the Senate, too! As proof, Stewart played 2007 statements by John Ensign championing the "swift" action taken against Larry Craig after his airport bathroom shuffle incident, before reminding us all that Ensign's statement would stand up better if "just three months later, he had not started f*cking a woman he worked with while having his father pay her husband hush money, and defended Senator David Vitter of Louisiana, who saw a lot of prostitutes while opposing gay marriage, because it affects the sanctity of that institution."

The moral of this story? If you say something on camera, and then say something that contradicts it at a later time, Stewart will find video of both and embarrass you—as he should.