Jon Stewart tried to coax veteran journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan into revealing the source behind the bombshell Situation Room account detailed in their new book, “Regime Change,” during a Monday “Daily Show” interview.
The comedian sat down with Haberman and Swan to discuss their forthcoming book, which made headlines after it was speculated that they may’ve obtained leaked audio from sensitive Situation Room meetings – including one where members of the Trump administration gathered to strategize a way to handle the Epstein files.
“You have information in here from inside the Situation Room, where they’re having a meeting to discuss the damage from the Epstein files,” Stewart said. “There’s only five people in the room? Six?”
Haberman responded by clarifying that “there were a couple of meetings that we describe in the book,” adding, “And so, there is one which was about a half a dozen people.”
Haberman did confirm that the conversations in question did involve “senior levels of the White House,” including members of the DOJ.
“So you have information. Six people are in the room,” Stewart reiterated. “Without giving away the secret, who’s the rat?”
Both Haberman and Swan laughed in response to Stewart’s grilling, with Swan even quipping that the “Daily Show” host “sound[ed] like Trump right now.”
“Tell me the rat. Who is it? [Scott] Bessent?” Stewart went on. It’s [Howard] Lutnick.”
When Stewart asked point-blank if any of this information came directly from Trump, Haberman clarified that the president “wasn’t in these meetings.”
Swan added: “They had the Epstein meetings without him because they knew he didn’t want to talk about Epstein.”
Haberman co-signed this summary, noting these high-level meetings were meant to “protect against him not wanting to discuss this and leaks.”
As Stewart asked for more details, Haberman cheekily encouraged the comedian to keep reading the book.
“I am enjoying it, but I am baffled that this administration … they are so tight knit and so loyalist, that you would be able to glean this,” Stewart said. “Did you have — was it on tape? People have suggested it might be on tape.”
Swan quickly shut down this line of questioning, sharing that they wouldn’t “speculate or talk about that.” To which Stewart responded: “I’m not asking you to speculate. I’m asking you to tell me. I’m asking you to tell me how!”
Haberman then chimed in with her own refusal, adding, “We appreciate you. We’re not going to talk about sourcing.”
“No. And I wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t ask you to,” Stewart doubled down. “What I would do is … I’m going to say a name.”
Stewart once again garnered a big laugh out of the journalists and his studio audience. He did eventually move on to other topics relating to book, including Haberman and Swan’s thoughts on the Trump administration’s current relationship with the press.
Watch the full interview above.
“The Daily Show” airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.
