Stephen Colbert’s Staff Won’t Face Charges For ‘Unlawful Entry” To Capitol Buildings

The U.S. Attorney’s Office won’t be pursuing charges against several crew members of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” after their June arrest by the Capitol Police.

Nine of Colbert’s staffers were arrested in the Longworth Office Building on June 16th, and charged with “unlawful entry,” when they were discovered filming comedy bits near the office of Republican congresswoman Rep. Lauren Boebert after hours. 

According to Fox News, the crew members attempted to film the Jan. 6 committee hearings, but could not obtain press credentials, as the television program was classified as an entertainment show, rather than a news program. 

They managed to secure interviews with a few members of the Jan. 6 Select Committee, including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), but were escorted out of the Cannon House Office Building for lacking proper press passes.  

The crew reportedly made their way back into the Capitol buildings after 4:00 p.m., when they were let in by Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ (D-MA) aide, and roamed around for hours without an escort, until their 8:30 p.m. arrest. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that they would not be seeking charges against Colbert’s employees in a statement on Monday. 

U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia "cannot move forward with misdemeanor charges of unlawful entry against" members of Stephen Colbert's staff and crew arrested June 16, saying they were "never asked to leave by the staffers who invited them." pic.twitter.com/d77sVbB88k

— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) July 18, 2022

“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 statement read. 

The statement detailed that the crew members were “invited by Congressional staffers to enter the building in each instance,” and were never asked to leave by the aides, despite multiple warnings from the Capitol Police that an escort was required. 

They will “no longer be required to appear” at their July 20 hearing as the U.S. Attorney’s would doesn’t believe it’s “probable” to “prove beyond a reasonable doubt” that Colbert’s staffers were “guilty of the crime of unlawful entry because their escort chose to leave them unattended.”

Marie Finn