Why are the Colbert Insurrectionists being set free?

Cockburn remembers well the Colbert Insurrection back in June, when several staffers on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show were arrested for trespassing at the Capitol. Yet he’s since been surprised to learn that the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has dropped all charges.

Despite the clear and evident danger of the Colbert staffers, the Capitol Police released a statement saying:

The United States Capitol Police was just informed the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is declining to prosecute the case. We respect the decision that office has made. Any questions about that decision should be referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

If the Colbert crew got their cases dismissed, then what about the January 6ers? The US Attorney’s Office had this to say about the Colbert Insurrectionists:

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.

Okay, that’s a straightforward start, but why did they decline to prosecute?

The Office would be 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. We do not believe it is probable that the Office would be able to obtain and sustain convictions on these charges. The defendants no longer will be required to appear for a scheduled hearing in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on July 20, 2022.

Who was their escort in the first place? Don’t forget that there were multiple accusations that the Colbert crew was banging on the office doors of Republican leaders, along with yet-unreleased camera footage of them doing who-knows-what. Cockburn still stands firm in his demand for a further investigation of this event.

The question “Who opened the Capitol doors?” can be asked both of January 6 and the Colbert Insurrection. The Capitol doors themselves have magnetic locks, and therefore must be opened from the inside for anyone to enter. There were rumors that staffers in Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff’s office enabled the Colbert team’s trespassing, though much is still up in the air.

One thing that isn’t up in the air, though, is the Colbert team’s freedom. They get to leave with dropped charges. Many January 6ers, on the other hand, are still stranded in prison. They can’t be bailed out, and their hope of a quick and speedy trial is uncertain at best.