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A Colbert 'Insurrection?' Numerous 'Late Show' Staffers Arrested for Incursion at US Capitol

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The Democrats remain aghast at the fact that a crazy man with a painted face, wearing a furry hat with horns, breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. They have no problem with letting Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, trespass inside the building, however.

According to a Fox News report Friday, seven employees with Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” on CBS were arrested for unlawful entry inside the Capitol Building on Thursday after reportedly being cleared by staffers for two top Democrats, including House Jan. 6 committee member Rep. Adam Schiff of California.

One of the employees arrested? Robert Smigel, the comic best known as the puppeteer for his character Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog. He’s also a frequent guest of Colbert’s.

(As Nancy Pelosi’s hyper-partisan Jan. 6 committee continues its work, we’ll keep bringing you the latest developments here at The Western Journal — all from a conservative, Christian perspective you won’t find in the mainstream media. If you support our work, please consider subscribing.)

A statement from U.S. Capitol Police obtained by the Washington Examiner said the individuals were in the Longworth House Office Building, closed to the public at the time of their arrest.

“On June 16, 2022, at approximately 8:30 p.m., U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) received a call for a disturbance in the Longworth House Office Building,” the statement read.

“Responding officers observed seven individuals, unescorted and without Congressional ID, in a sixth-floor hallway.”

“The building was closed to visitors, and these individuals were determined to be a part of a group that had been directed by the USCP to leave the building earlier in the day,” the statement continued.

“They were charged with Unlawful Entry. This is an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges after consultation with the U.S. Attorney.”

What, no talk of insurrection? Sedition? Impeaching Colbert? Making Smigel testify under oath before Congress about why he’s kept rehashing those Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog bits for roughly 20 years since they stopped being funny?

In addition to Smigel, the Colbert staffers arrested were Jake Plunkett, Allison Martinez, Tyrone Dean, Stephen Romond, Nicoletta Green, Brendan Hurley, Josh Comers and David Feldman.

CBS said in a statement that they had been cleared to enter the building to do a Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog segment for Colbert’s show.

“Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed,” CBS said.

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“After leaving the members’ offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police.”

A source in the know told the Examiner the group “overstayed their welcome” at the Capitol — but it seems a bit more serious than that.

“The group reportedly banged on doors of several Republican offices – including that of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Lauren Boebert of Colorado — as they allegedly filmed a skit for Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ program that was to center around the January 6 hearings,” Fox News reported.

They had been asked to leave the building after they were found outside the Jan. 6 committee hearing room sans credentials.

“They knew what they were doing was wrong,” the Examiner’s source said.

The great irony here? This comes as Democrats on the Jan. 6 committee have been scrutinizing a tour of the Capitol GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia gave on Jan. 5, 2021.

And yet, just days after the committee called on Loudermilk to testify about the tour, Democrat Reps. Schiff and Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts cleared them into the building. And all on the 50th anniversary of Watergate!

Granted, this didn’t happen as the Electoral College was being certified. However, their presence was every bit as dangerous — if not more so — than, say, many of the Capitol rioters milling around on Jan. 6, 2021, or the people in Rep. Loudermilk’s tour group on Jan. 5. And yet, the media is mostly silent on this one so far.

This is made all the more ironic by the fact Colbert became a #Resistance hero during President Donald Trump’s administration, a man who went for leftist applause more than general laughter. By this point, he’s become a self-parody of the parodical character he used to play on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” just with reversed political polarity.

Is the Jan. 6 committee overhyped?

It’s hard for “The Late Show” host to seize the high ground during the Jan. 6 hearings when the entertainer allegedly had his staffers banging on GOP representatives’ doors when they were in the Capitol Building illegally.

Meanwhile, I’d like to see if Triumph ends up sharing a cell with the horn-helmeted “QAnon Shaman” from the Capitol incursion. If that doesn’t happen, at the very least, I’d like to see him testify in character before the House Select Committee on the Colbert Insurrection when the GOP takes over the lower chamber.

As for Colbert, it’s a shame we can’t impeach TV personalities for inciting criminal behavior on Capitol Hill. Vice CBS late-night talk show host James Corden is a whole lot funnier, after all.

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C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture




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