The U.S. Capitol Police have dropped all the charges against ‘Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert’s crew for illegally entering offices at a House of Representatives building in order to shoot a satirical skit about the Capitol riots of January 6, 2021.
Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ crew claims they were invited into the building by House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff. The production crew allegedly returned after hours so they could surreptitiously film a ‘Triumph the Insult Comic’ bit outside the offices of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
In its initial statement, Capitol Police said at about 8:30 p.m. on June 16, they “received a call for a disturbance in the Longworth House Office Building.”
“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. They were charged with Unlawful Entry.”
The Capitol Police made the announcement on Monday:
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) has been working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia on the June 16, 2022, Unlawful Entry case that involved a group of nine people associated with The Late Show.
The USCP arrested nine people for Unlawful Entry charges because members of the group had been told several times before they entered the Congressional buildings that they had to remain with a staff escort inside the buildings and they failed to do so.
The United States Capitol Police was just informed the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is declining to prosecute the case.
We respect the decision that office has made.
Any questions about that decision should be referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The Capitol Police, which falls directly under the jurisdiction of the Democrat-run U.S. Congress, is respecting the decision not to charge the Colbert crew for ‘unlawful entry’ in the Capitol building.
The majority of charges for January 6 defendants, which can be searched at a database provided by Buzzfeed, are for “Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol,” “Entering a restricted building,” or “Obstructing an official proceeding.”
There are charges for “conspiracy” that pertain only to the far-right extremist groups that carried out a planned siege on the capitol, and have nothing to do with the Trump administration.
In June, Stephen Colbert gave his version of what had happened at the U.S. Capitol.
Colbert said that the Capitol Police were able to keep everything “calm” and “professional.” The show staffers were processed and released.
“A very unpleasant experience for my staff, a lot of paperwork for the Capitol Police. But a fairly simple story,” Colbert said.
This surely pales in comparison to the January 6 defendants, dozens of whom are still being held in pre-trial detainment, a violation of their basic civil riots. One factor in the trial is that 14,000 hours of unreleased surveillance footage could potentially hold exculpatory evidence revealing the extent that Capitol Police held open doors and otherwise observed the Capitol siege without intervening.
The U.S. Attorney responsible for dropping the charges is Matthew Graves, a Biden appointee who is prosecuting January 6 cases.
American Majority CEO Ned Ryun joined Jesse Watters on his ‘Primetime’ show to highlight the obvious hypocrisy.
.@nedryun Joins @JesseBWatters To React To Charges Against The Colbert 9 Being Dropped
Ned: "If you have the wrong political views or the wrong political connections, you have the book thrown at you. But if you have the right connections, everything gets dropped." pic.twitter.com/BgVVBaklB3
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) July 18, 2022
“If you have the wrong political views or the wrong political connections, you have the book thrown at you,” Ryun said. “But if you have the right connections, everything gets dropped.”
This is a travesty against the American justice system, which is only being compounded by legal double standards. When it comes to the rule of law, it is clear that this administration has no desire to administer it blindly and evenly, regardless of the political bent of those involved.
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OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author's opinion.