Federal prosecutors decline to charge Colbert crew, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog over Capitol bit

(Image credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

Federal prosecutors announced Monday they have dropped charges against Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's puppet master, Robert Smigel, and others associated with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert who were arrested in the U.S. Capitol complex on June 16. Smigel and the Late Show producers and crew were charged with misdemeanor unlawful entry for being in a Capitol office building without an escort after the third House Jan. 6 committee hearing.

Colbert joked on his show that they were arrested for "first-degree puppetry," or "high jinks with intent to goof."

The U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., would have been "required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that these invited guests were guilty of the crime of unlawful entry because their escort chose to leave them unattended," said Bill Miller, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office. "We do not believe it is probable that the office would be able to obtain and sustain convictions on these charges." U.S. Capitol police said they would respect the U.S. attorney's decision.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.