Stephen Colbert staff members arrested for trespassing on Capitol Hill

Seven staff members from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert were arrested for allegedly trespassing in a Capitol Hill building on Thursday night, authorities have said. All seven were each charged with unlawful entry.

The employees, including Robert Smigel, the voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, were found by US Capitol police (USCP) officers inside the Longworth House Office Building, which houses offices for members of the House of Representatives.

The intrusion comes amid heightened sensitivity around unlawful or unauthorized access to congressional buildings and came as the third public hearing by the House panel investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection concluded.

Capitol police said they received a call about a disturbance in the Longworth House Office Building around 8.30pm.

They were reportedly escorted out of the building earlier in the day but had re-entered by an aide to Auchincloss who believed they had more interviews to conduct.