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Colbert on DeVos: She 'admitted that she hasn't really done her job'

Colbert attempted to explain why Betsy DeVos isn't "one of the popular kids."

March 13, 2018, 3:09 AM

Stephen Colbert attempted to explain why Betsy DeVos isn't "one of the popular kids" on Monday after a "60 Minutes" interviewer asked her why she's the most-hated secretary in President Donald Trump's cabinet.

Naturally, DeVos found it hard to answer the question, but Colbert said the answer is simple: "It's because she follows a system called 'stupid.'"

"DeVos' theory is that, if you take money away from public schools and give it to charter schools, that will somehow help the public schools," said Colbert, host of “The Late Show." "It's a system called 'stupid.' A lot of people believe in the 'stupid.'"

DeVos, the secretary of education, struggled to answer basic questions about education policies on Sunday during her "60 Minutes" interview, prompting fresh criticism of her qualifications for the role.

Colbert said DeVos "admitted that she hasn't really done her job" when she told the interviewer, Lesley Stahl, that she hadn't "intentionally visited schools that are underperforming" to figure out why they're doing poorly.

PHOTO: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), at National Harbor, Md.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), at National Harbor, Md.

"So you've accidentally visited them?" joked Colbert, after playing a clip of the interview.

"You know how it is," Colbert added. "You have a few too many and end up wandering into a school zone, then wake up and go, 'Oh, God, who did I help last night? Poor kids? Egg on my face ... 'cause they threw eggs at me."

In a statement Monday, DeVos defended her education-reform plans and took a swipe at "60 Minutes" for allegedly leaving out key parts of the interview.

"Also missing from @60Minutes: students at charter schools in Detroit are doing 2x better than their peers," she tweeted. "The reforms are helping, but there's so much more to do. We must help all students be better prepared for strong futures."