WASHINGTON — After officers arrested nine unauthorized people in a congressional office building in June, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has announced they're declining to prosecute the case, according to U.S. Capitol Police and the Associated Press.
The people identified themselves as being affiliated with CBS’ “Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The AP said in original reporting that seven people were arrested, but U.S. Capitol Police said on July 18 there were a total of nine.
The U.S. Capitol Police said that officers arrested the group on June 16 and charged them with unlawful entry.
Another person familiar with the matter provided the AP with a list of nine people who had been stopped by Capitol Police. They included several producers, along with Robert Smigel, the voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
Capitol Police said they received a call about a disturbance in the Longworth House Office Building around 8:30 p.m. “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 agency said in a statement.
The USCP ultimately arrested nine people, they said, for Unlawful Entry charges because members of the group had been told several times before they entered the Congressional buildings that they had to remain with a staff escort inside the buildings and they failed to do so.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS said the production team was at the Capitol Wednesday and Thursday to record a comedy segment featuring Triumph.
“Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed,” the network said. “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.”
The initial USCP statement said the case remains “an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges.” Capitol Police also initially departed from standard practice and refused to provide the names of the people who were arrested.
U.S. Capitol Police have announced that they respect the decision of the Attorney's Office to decline to prosecute the case.
