Charges dropped against Stephen Colbert staffers who were arrested for unlawful entry in House office building

The “Colbert 9” were cleared of “unlawful entry” charges Monday after staffers for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” were caught recording comedy skits inside a House Office Building after hours without permission in June.

A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office read: “After a comprehensive review of all of the evidence and the relevant legal authority, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has determined that it cannot move forward with misdemeanor charges of unlawful entry against the nine individuals who were arrested on June 16, 2022 at the Longworth Office Building. The individuals, who entered the building on two separate occasions, were invited by Congressional staffers to enter the building in each instance and were never asked to leave by the staffers who invited them, though, members of the group had been told at various points by the U.S. Capitol Police that they were supposed to have an escort. The Office would be required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that these invited guests were guilty of the crime of unlawful entry because their escort chose to leave them unattended. We do not believe it is probable that the Office would be able to obtain and sustain convictions on these charges. The defendants no longer will be required to appear for a scheduled hearing in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on July 20, 2022.”

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) released a statement saying they “respect the decision that office has made” and referred any questions about the decision to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

Fox News is told the Capitol Police are upset about the decision to drop the charges, especially since the Colbert 9 were told on multiple occasions they weren’t supposed to be there. Sources close to the Capitol Police also tell Fox this undercuts law enforcement as they try to secure the Capitol complex after the riot.

US CAPITOL POLICE ARREST STEPHEN COLBERT STAFFERS AT HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL ENTRY

In June, a group of nine staffers from CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” were arrested after illegally entering a U.S. House of Representatives building. Among those arrested was Robert Smigel, the puppeteer for “Triumph the Insult Comic Dog,” a character on Colbert’s show, along with writer Josh Comers, associate producer Allison Martinez and senior producer Jake Plunkett.

Fox News was told that the Colbert 9 tried to get permission to cover the Jan. 6 committee hearings but were denied by the House/Senate Radio TV Galleries because they are considered to be entertainment and not news.

Actor and comedian Robert Smigel performs as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in the hallways outside the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol hearing in the Cannon House Office Building on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

According to the police, the staffers were charged with unlawful entry after being found acting “disruptive, loud” and “theatrical” near the office of Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., in the Longworth House Office Building as they recorded comedy skits for the Late Show around 8:30 p.m. on June 16.

Earlier in the day, the group had conducted interviews with members of the Jan. 6 Select Committee, Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla, as well as Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass. 

They were eventually escorted out of the Cannon House Office Building, where the Jan. 6 committee was conducting its hearing, because they didn’t have proper press credentials. Sources tell Fox News that an aide to Auchincloss let them back into the House office buildings around 4:00 p.m. and they were left unattended for several hours. 

TWITTER REACTS TO COLBERT STAFFER ARRESTS AT CAPITOL: ‘INSURRECTION’

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert set 
( (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images))

Colbert himself downplayed the arrests on his show the following Monday as a “very professional” interaction between his staff and “cautious” Capitol Police officers and jokingly called the incident “first-degree puppetry.”

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Republican lawmakers also requested information that Monday on how Colbert’s crew were able to gain access inside the building despite not having press credentials. Despite the arrests, a CBS spokesperson at the time told Fox News that “interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed.” 

Fox News’ Paul Best, Alexa Moutevelis, Lawrence Richard and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.