NEW YORK (AP) – Stephen Colbert pronounced his staff members who were arrested at a congressional office building last week as guilty of “first-degree puppetry,” and lashed out at those comparing the incident to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
That includes Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson, who in a tongue-in-cheek monologue about “Insurrection 2.0” on Monday called Colbert a “white extremist.”
Seven people who identified themselves as affiliated with CBS’ “Late Show” were detained by Capitol Police following reports of a disturbance at the Longworth House Office Building on Thursday night. The seven include Robert Smigel, the voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
Colbert said on his show Monday night that they were doing “some last-minute puppetry and jokey make-’em-ups” when they were taken into custody. He said it was not surprising.
“The Capitol Police are much more cautious than they were 18 months ago, and for a very good reason,” he said. “And if you don’t know what the reason is, I know what news network you watch.”