--- title: Stephen Colbert on Kellyanne Conway Microwave Wiretapping description: Stephen Colbert mocked Kellyanne Conway's explanation of the lack of evidence supporting President Donald Trump's wiretapping claims. canonical: https://time.com/4700778/stephen-colbert-kellyanne-conway-microwave/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-14T15:21:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:54.066Z og:title: Stephen Colbert Roasts Kellyanne Conway on Microwave Cameras og:description: "You need a shaky grasp of reality and zero regard for the truth" og:url: https://time.com/4700778/stephen-colbert-kellyanne-conway-microwave/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stephen Colbert Roasts Kellyanne Conway on Microwave Cameras twitter:description: "You need a shaky grasp of reality and zero regard for the truth" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Watch Stephen Colbert Roast Kellyanne Conway's Microwave Claim > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0cc8b3bd-e877-4158-8f80-64a559921620&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0cc8b3bd-e877-4158-8f80-64a559921620&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=0cc8b3bd-e877-4158-8f80-64a559921620&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: Kellyanne Conway Says 'I Don't Have Any Evidence' of Trump's Wiretap Claim [Watch (HLS stream): Kellyanne Conway Says 'I Don't Have Any Evidence' of Trump's Wiretap Claim](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1r9CBohb.m3u8) (0:54)  _Published 2017-03-13. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, said Monday that she has no evidence to back up unsubstantiated claims Trump made that his predecessor wiretapped him during the 2016 presidential campaign._  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 14, 2017 3:21 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 14, 2017 3:21 PM UTC Stephen Colbert was clearly not surprised when the Justice Department asked Congress for [more time](http://time.com/4699977/donald-trump-wiretapping-evidence-deadline/) to provide evidence backing up [President Donald Trump’s](http://time.com/4700456/donald-trump-healthcare-obamacare-complaints/) unsubstantiated claim that Barack Obama [wiretapped](http://time.com/4691279/white-house-trump-obama-wire-tap/) Trump Tower during the 2016 election. During the opening monologue of Monday’s episode of _The Late Show_, the host mocked the allegations POTUS made via Twitter. “Now, to believe Trump’s claims, you need a shaky grasp of reality and zero regard for the truth,” he said. Colbert also touched on White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s remarks on the lack of evidence, ridiculing her suggestion that [microwaves can turn into cameras](http://time.com/4699365/kellyanne-conway-donald-trump-obama-wiretap/) for surveillance purposes. “Trump adviser and stepmom who is trying to replace your mother Kellyanne Conway explained yesterday that just because there’s no evidence that his phone was wiretapped, doesn’t mean Trump is wrong,” he said. After he played a clip of her claim during an interview, Colbert gave viewers a glimpse of a _Late Show_ crew member operating a microwave camera of his own. “It’s true, it’s true. Microwaves that turn into cameras. How else do you think we film this show?” Watch the full clip below. ## Transcript I'm not Inspector Gadget, I don't believe people are using the microwave to spy on the Trump campaign. However, I'm not in the job of having evidence, that's what investigations are for. I've said many, many times throughout the week that the president is pleased that the House and Senate Intelligence Committee's Have agreed with him that this should be part of the investigation that already exists about rushing the campaign. An investigation that apparently is going nowhere so far. I mean, every single day, on this network and others, people are screaming about rushing the campaign. And to what avail? I mean where is the evidence that [ UNKNOWN ]. Well the investigations haven't even started. Okay, but you're fine with that, you're fine with that investigation taking its time. But when it comes to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees listening to President Trump, and including this as part of the overall investigation. Somehow that has to be on a rocket docket, that has to have Evidentiary proof on day one that has to have a conclusion before it even starts. [ CROSSTALK ] Because they're fundamentally different ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4700778/stephen-colbert-kellyanne-conway-microwave/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4700778/stephen-colbert-kellyanne-conway-microwave/"},"headline":"Watch Stephen Colbert Roast Kellyanne Conway's Microwave Claim","datePublished":"2017-03-14T15:21:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:02:54.066Z","description":"\"You need a shaky grasp of reality and zero regard for the truth\"","url":"https://time.com/4700778/stephen-colbert-kellyanne-conway-microwave/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television","politics","stephen colbert","TV","Donald Trump","the late show","Late Night Television","the late show with stephen colbert","kellyanne conway"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4700778/stephen-colbert-kellyanne-conway-microwave/","name":"Watch Stephen Colbert Roast Kellyanne Conway's Microwave Claim"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Kellyanne Conway Says 'I Don't Have Any Evidence' of Trump's Wiretap Claim","description":"Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Donald Trump, said Monday that she has no evidence to back up unsubstantiated claims Trump made that his predecessor wiretapped him during the 2016 presidential campaign.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1r9CBohb/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-03-13T13:48:41.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1r9CBohb.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4700778/stephen-colbert-kellyanne-conway-microwave/","duration":"PT54S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4700778/stephen-colbert-kellyanne-conway-microwave/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```