Seven Late Show With Stephen Colbert staffers — including the comedian behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog — were arrested Thursday night at a U.S. Capitol office building in Washington, D.C.
Earlier in the day, the production team and Triumph puppeteer Robert Smigel were spotted around the Capitol filming a segment during the third day of the open Jan. 6 hearings; Triumph’s Twitter page also shared photos of the cigar-chomping dog on hand in the Capitol:
If this Greg Jacob guy gets indicted he may be a flight risk #youseebecauseofhisenormousears pic.twitter.com/PTIgSuHGts
— Triumph® ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴsᴜʟᴛ ᴄᴏᴍɪᴄ ᴅᴏɢ™ Headquarters💩 (@TriumphICDHQ) June 16, 2022
Later that evening, after the building was closed to the public, the group either remained in or returned to the Longworth House Office Building to film additional material when they encountered U.S. Capitol Police, who detained the group and charged them with unlawful entry.
“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,”a CBS spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed. 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.”
According to Deadline, the production team was arrested while they were filming outside the offices of two Republican members of Congress, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Lauren Boebert.
“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 U.S. Capitol Police 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 USCP added, “This is an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges after consultation with the U.S. Attorney.” While Capitol police did not reveal the names of the seven people arrested, the Associated Press confirmed that Smigel and Late Show producers were among those detained.