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Colbert Finally Speaks Out About Arrest of Staffers

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  June 21, 2022 9:30 AM

During Monday’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” the comedian broke his silence about the recent arrest of several staffers for their unlawful entry into the U.S. House of Representatives.

The group of seven was escorted out of the Jan. 6 committee hearing last week for failing to have the proper press credentials. They then came back at night when the Capitol complex was closed to the public and reportedly took photos and video. 

"Well, I had an interesting one because some members of my staff had a memorable one,” he began his show Monday. 

"The Capitol police were just doing their job, my staff was just doing their job, everyone was very professional, everyone was very calm," Colbert said. "My staffers were detained, processed and released. A very unpleasant experience for my staff."

He continued: "After they’d finished their interviews, [my staffers] were doing some last-minute puppetry and jokey make-em-ups in a hallway, when Triumph ["the Insult Comic Dog”] and my folks were approached and detained by Capitol Police.”

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The comedian downplayed the incident but said it gained traction when “TV people started claiming that my puppet squad had quote, ‘committed insurrection’ at the U.S. Capitol building."

His staffers weren’t in the main Capitol building, however, and he was “shocked that he has to explain the difference, but an insurrection involves disrupting the lawful actions of Congress and howling for the blood of elected leaders – all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power."

"This was first-degree puppetry, this was hijinks with intent to goof, misappropriation of an old Conan bit," he said.

Republican lawmakers have since sent a letter to U.S. Capitol Police asking them "[t]o help us understand how these individuals could gain access to the House office buildings after hours and roam the complex unescorted with the apparent intent of harassing Republican offices...”