U.S. Capitol Police arrested seven people Thursday night in the Longworth House Office Building while they were filming a segment for CBS‘s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Those arrested had been escorted earlier in the day out of the hearing for the “Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the United States Capitol” due to a lack of proper press credentials. The same group was discovered in the Capitol complex later that day after it had been closed to the public, Fox News reports.
According to reports, they filmed and photographed themselves in the offices of two Republican members of Congress, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
Among those arrested was Robert Smigel, the creator, puppeteer, and voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, according to the Associated Press (AP). The others are show producers.
According to Capitol Police, at 8:30 p.m., they received “a call for a disturbance” in the Longworth facility. “Responding officers observed seven individuals in a sixth-floor hallway, unescorted and without Congressional ID,” said Capitol Police. “The building was closed to visitors, and these individuals were determined to be members of a group that had been directed by the USCP earlier in the day to leave the building.”
The seven were arrested and charged with Unlawful Entry. Additional criminal charges could be filed.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was “on-site at the Capitol with a production team” on June 15 and 16, CBS confirmed in a statement Friday night. They were there to record interviews for a comedy segment for “The Late Show.”
The meetings “were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed,” CBS explained in a released statement. “After leaving the members’ offices for their final interview of the day, the production team stayed in the halls to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements when they were detained by Capitol Police.”
“This is an ongoing criminal investigation,” the Capitol Police told reporters, according to MSN. “Additional criminal charges may be filed after consultation with the U.S. Attorney,” USCP added.