Fox News host Tucker Carlson joked that the production team of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert committed ‘insurrection’ after they were arrested and charged with unlawful entry at the Capitol. Republicans have accused a Democrat representative of reportedly letting them into the complex.
The network first noted the arrests on Friday evening.
The group was reportedly filming final interviews and comedy segments earlier in the day but was escorted out of the area by police for not having the proper credentials and told to leave the building.
They returned after public hours access to the Capitol and were spotted taking pictures and videos around the offices of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO).
Seven individuals were arrested and charged with illegal entry near Boebert’s office. The most notable individual on the list was Robert Smigel, the comedian behind the character, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
The group was released overnight.
1) Fox confirms that group of persons associated with The Late Show Stephen Colbert were arrested last night and charged with illegal entry to House office buildings after hours.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 17, 2022
RELATED: Tucker Carlson Brags About Fox News Refusing To Air Democrats’ January 6 ‘Deranged Lecture’ Live
Stephen Colbert Production Crew Arrested at the Capitol
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The most remarkable element about the story may be that the production crew for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert allegedly gained illegal access to the Capitol complex with the aid of Representative Schiff. At least that’s what Republicans are accusing.
The official account for the House Judiciary Committee Republicans tweeted, “Adam Schiff’s cronies snuck in Stephen Colbert’s staff to the US Capitol and facilitated unauthorized reconnaissance tours of GOP offices.”
Adam Schiff’s cronies snuck in Stephen Colbert’s staff to the U.S. Capitol and facilitated unauthorized reconnaissance tours of GOP offices.
Barely a peep from the mainstream media.
Why?
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) June 18, 2022
The tweet was an obvious jab at the House select committee’s insistence on promoting a conspiracy theory that Representative Barry Loudermilk, a Georgia Republican, led a ‘reconnaissance tour’ of the Capitol on January 5th.
Capitol police have since exonerated Loudermilk from conducting any suspicious activity. Schiff is a key player in the select committee’s development of the January 6 narrative being played out currently in public hearings.
????BREAKING????: The truth will always prevail. As I’ve said since the Jan. 6 Committee made their baseless accusation about me to the media, I never gave a tour of the Capitol on Jan 5, 2021… pic.twitter.com/qBoLcmxnYQ
— Rep. Barry Loudermilk (@RepLoudermilk) June 14, 2022
Who Let Them In?
Schiff, along with fellow Democrat representatives Jake Auchincloss and Stephanie Murphy had been interviewed by Triumph earlier in the day. However, the Guardian is reporting that the group was let back into the complex by an aide to Auchincloss who believed they had more segments to film.
Boebert took the opportunity to lambaste the production crew for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert upon news breaking that they had ‘breached’ the Capitol.
“Why was [Colbert’s] staff breaking federal law and at my office last night?” she asked. “Was this an illegal reconnaissance tour or a full-on insurrection? Did they go in? Did Stephen fund this? Is he being charged? I’m demanding answers.”
Why was @StephenAtHome’s staff breaking federal law and at my office last night?
Was this an illegal reconnaissance tour or a full on insurrection?
Did they go in? Did Stephen fund this? Is he being charged?
I’m demanding answers.
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) June 18, 2022
RELATED: AOC Responds To Capitol Video: It’s Clear ‘I Work With People Who Wish Me Harm’
Tucker Carlson Responds to the Arrests
While the incidents clearly differ on several levels, Fox News host Tucker Carlson couldn’t help poking fun at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert team’s Capitol arrests by using the media’s own penchant for hyperbole.
“Last night, producers from Stephen Colbert’s show on CBS committed insurrection at the United States Capitol,” he deadpanned.
He took aim at Schiff in particular though nothing thus far indicates he personally opened the door for the group’s entry.
Carlson accused the select committee member of hypocrisy over the incident because he “has spent the last year and a half telling you that unauthorized violations of capitol space are a coup.”
Stephen Colbert’s producers just committed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/8lHkIcCYld
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 18, 2022
The hypocrisy may not specifically involve an actual ‘insurrection,’ as Carlson admits later in his segment by saying “joking aside,” but it’s still palpable.
Whether harmless or not, can you imagine what would have happened if someone like Ted Cruz, or Matt Gaetz, or Marjorie Taylor Greene had allowed a production crew from Newsmax into the Capitol complex and they were subsequently arrested outside of AOC’s office?
They would have been accused of trying to have her murdered.
.@AOC tells the @nypost she will not apologize for falsely claiming @tedcruz tried to murder her https://t.co/5PFXdoJZZ1 pic.twitter.com/EOQ5iq0H3m
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 8, 2021
Carlson Makes Mocking Suggestion
“Liz Cheney, call your office,” Carlson mocked, suggesting a separate committee be empaneled to investigate the latest ‘insurrection’ attempt.
“Adam Kinzinger’s crying at the thought,” he added.
The media being the media, they’re reporting Carlson’s segment as actual accusations of ‘insurrection,’ and Republican lawmakers of being serious about ‘reconnaissance tours,’ when they’re doing little more than embellishing their commentary the way Democrats have done for the past 17 months.
CBS, the network which airs The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, declined to provide further information on the arrests at the Capitol according to the New York Times.
An investigation is underway and Capitol police have said more criminal charges may be filed. The odds of any of this sticking are slim to none, however, as it seems like more of a mixup between staff for the show and the Democrat offices.
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