U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) arrested a group of staffers who work for CBS’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” late on Thursday night after they allegedly illegally entered an office building for the U.S. House of Representatives and were snooping around offices belonging to Republican Members.
The group of nine individuals were arrested in the Longworth House Office Building after police had escorted them out of different building earlier in the day where they were looking to conduct interviews related to the January 6 committee hearings.
“However, the group surfaced later that night after the Capitol complex was closed to the public Fox is told they took pictures and video around the offices of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO),” Fox News correspondent Chad Pergram tweeted. “They were unescorted and arrested and charged with illegal entry. They were arrested near Boebert’s office.”
5) They were unescorted and arrested and charged with illegal entry. They were arrested near Boebert’s office. They were released overnight.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 17, 2022
The nine individuals who were allegedly arrested included Jake Plunkett, Allison Martinez, Tyrone Dean, Stephen Romond, Nicoletta Green, Brendan Hurley, Robert Smigel, Josh Comers, and David Feldman.
“Robert Smigel is known for being the voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog,” Pergram noted. “He also produced short cartoons for Saturday Night Live’s ‘TV Funhouse.’”
Fox News host Jesse Watters claimed in a segment that Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) let Colbert’s staff in the building.
🚨 #BREAKING: On the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in, @RepAdamSchiff's cronies sneak in Stephen Colbert's staffers and provide unauthorized reconnaissance tours of Republican offices throughout Capitol Hill. pic.twitter.com/XHbLdGKRka
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) June 18, 2022
“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,” USCP said in a statement. “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.”
A spokesperson for CBS said that the staffers were on site to do a comedy segment for Colbert’s show and claimed that the interviews were “pre-arranged.”
“On Wednesday, June 15 and Thursday, June 16, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was on-site at the Capitol with a production team to record interviews for a comedy segment on behalf of ‘The Late Show.’ Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed,” the spokesperson said. “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.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.