Stephen Colbert breaks silence on Capitol staffer arrests: ‘Puppet in the first degree’

Stephen Colbert spoke about the recent arrests of his crew and production members, who were arrested and charged with being in an unauthorized area of ​​a US Capitol building last week.

On Monday night’s « Late Show, » Colbert downplayed the arrests as a « very professional » interaction between his staff and « cautious » Capitol Police officers.

The host opened the show by asking the audience about their weekends before joking, « Well, I had an interesting one and some of my team members had a memorable one. »

« The Capitol Police was just doing their job, my staff was just doing their job, everyone was very professional, everyone was very calm, » the host continued. « My staff were detained, processed and released. A very unpleasant experience for my staff. »

TWITTER RESPONDS TO CAPITOL COLBERT STAFF ARRESTS: ‘INSURRECTION’

On Thursday a group dubbed ‘the Colbert Seven’ were arrested for unlawfully entering the Longworth House office building.

Among those arrested was Robert Smigel, the puppeteer of « Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, » a character on CBS’s « The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. »

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 16: Actor and comedian Robert Smigel stars as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in the halls outside the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 hearing into the attack on the US Capitol at the Cannon House office building on June 16, 2022 in Washington DC.
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“After completing their interviews, [my staffers] were doing last-minute puppets and wacky make-up in a hallway, when Triumph and my parents were approached and detained by Capitol police,” Colbert said.

US CAPITOL POLICE ARREST STEPHEN COLBERT STAFF AT OFFICE BUILDING, CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL ENTRY

He continued, « A lot of paperwork for the Capitol Police, but a pretty straightforward story…until the following evening, when a few viewers started claiming my puppet team had quoted ‘insurgency’ at the US Capitol. -United. »

Colbert claimed his staff weren’t in the main Capitol building, and he said he was « shocked to have to explain the difference, but an insurrection involves disrupting the legal actions of Congress and screaming for blood elected leaders – all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.”

CBS’ « The Late Show With Stephen Colbert » host Stephen Colbert discussed the recent arrests of his crew and production members during a June 20, 2022 broadcast.
(« The Last Show with Stephen Colbert »/CBS)

He called the incident « first-degree puppets, » then blamed former President Trump for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Colbert accused reporters covering the story of looking for an excuse to talk about anything other than the Jan. 6 hearings and said to equate it with the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 is an « insult shameful and grotesque to the memory of all those who died. »

He said it « obscenely trivializes the service and courage shown by the Capitol Police on that terrible day. » He joked that there may have been a big plot by his aides to overthrow the government with a rubber Rottweiler – a reference to the Triumph the Insult Comic Dog puppet.

The staff members were arrested after United States Capitol Police responded to a call about a disturbance at the Longworth House office building around 8:30 p.m.

“Responding officers observed seven individuals, unescorted and without congressional ID cards, in a sixth-floor hallway,” police said in a statement. « The building was closed to visitors, and these individuals were determined to be part of a group that had been ordered by the USCP to vacate the building earlier in the day. »

Capitol Police said the individuals were charged with unlawful entry. « This is an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges upon consultation with the U.S. Attorney, » the USCP added.

Earlier in the day, they conducted interviews with members of the Jan. 6 select committee, including Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla, and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass.

Seven staff members of CBS’s « The Late Show with Stephen Colbert » were arrested last Thursday at the Longworth House office building.
(SCS)

Sources tell Fox News that an Auchincloss aide let them back into the Office buildings around 4:00 p.m. and they were left unattended for several hours.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., are now asking Capitol Police for more information about how the group gained access to the home building.

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A CBS spokesperson told Fox News last week that « interviews at the Capitol have been authorized and pre-arranged by congressional aides of interviewed members. »

Lorraine Taylor, Chad Pergram and Paul Best of Fox News contributed to this report.