Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' crew will face no charges following Capitol Hill arrest
Quote:
Federal prosecutors said Monday they have declined to bring charges against nine people associated with CBS' "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" who were arrested in a building in the U.S. Capitol complex last month.
The decision, made by the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, comes after prosecutors determined they "cannot move forward" with the misdemeanor charges against the nine people arrested June 16 in the Longworth House Office Building. The incident followed the third public hearing by the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office said it was not probable a conviction could be obtained and sustained given that the nine arrested had been invited and that their escorts had never asked them to leave the building.
Police said the group was arrested on 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."
Prosecutors said the group had been invited by congressional staffers and had never been asked to leave by the staff members who had invited them. The U.S. attorney's office said some people in the group of nine had been told by police that they were supposed to have an escort.
"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," said Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office. "We do not believe it is probable that the Office would be able to obtain and sustain convictions on these charges."
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman