- Seven staff of the "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" were arrested at Washington DC's Capitol building.
- They were charged with unlawful entry. Many Capitol rioters faced the same charge.
- Tucker Carlson compared Thursday's non-violent incident to the deadly "insurrection" on January 6, 2021.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson accused producers of the "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" of "insurrection" after they were arrested Thursday night at the US Capitol.
During the Friday night edition of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Carlson linked the arrest of seven staffers from Colbert's show to the violent storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.
"Last night, producers for Stephen Colbert's CBS show committed insurrection at the United States Capitol," Carlson said, per Newsweek. "Adam Schiff gave producers from CBS access to the Capitol. And then the group remained in the Longworth House Office Building after hours."
CBS said in a statement to Insider that the crew's interviews were "authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed."
US Capitol Police told Insider that the building was closed to visitors, and the crew was part of a group told to leave the building earlier in the day.
Carlson claimed that the staffers, who were there to film a comedy segment, stayed after hours in the building to "harass" members of Congress.
The production crew, including Robert Smigel, best known for his puppeteering of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, was charged with unlawful entry.
Carlson noted that Capitol rioters had faced the same charge.
"It is likely that some members of Stephen Colbert's team will be held in solitary confinement for a year and a half without being charged," Carlson said, per Newsweek. "Because this is an insurrection. Joking aside, how could they not be held? – The precedent is in place."
He went on to say Thursday night's incident was "exactly like what happened" during the Capitol riot.
A bipartisan Senate report found that at least seven people lost their lives in connection with the insurrection on January 6, 2021. Nobody was injured in connection with the Colbert crew incident.
