Stephen Colbert is no stranger to showing emotion as he recaps the news of the day on The Late Show — but he told viewers on Wednesday's monologue that he "[has] rarely been as upset as I am tonight."
In Washington, D.C. earlier yesterday, a large crowd of President Donald Trump's supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol. It's a dark, foreboding day in American history, yet simultaneously unsurprising in light of Trump's consistently inciting rhetoric.
The Senate had convened to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's election win, but was forced to halt proceedings as a mob adorned in MAGA hats descended upon the building. The crowd waved Trump, American, and Confederate flags and chanted "Stop the steal" as they breached the Capitol. Some even got onto the empty Senate floor and into offices, looting and vandalising without the grossly inadequate security or police stopping them.
Lawmakers were fortunately able to evacuate or barricade themselves elsewhere in the complex, the National Guard was called in to expel the crowd, and both houses returned to continue certification and debate into the early hours of Thursday morning. However one person was shot and killed, four others have died, and the security of the U.S. Capitol has now been thoroughly compromised.
And Colbert was not surprised by any of it.
"Today, the US Capitol was overrun for the first time since 1814," he said. "And a woman died. Who could have seen this coming? Everyone, even dummies like me.
"This is the most shocking, most tragic, least surprising thing I've ever seen," he went on, addressing pro-Trump Republicans directly. "For years now, people have been telling you cowards that if you let the president lie about our democracy over and over, and then join him in that lie and say he's right, when you know for a fact that he is not, there will be a terrible price to pay, but you just never thought you'd have to pay it too. I really do hope you're enjoying those tax cuts."
UPDATE: Jan. 8, 2021, 11:48 a.m. AEDT This article has been updated to reflect that a fifth person has died in connection with the Capitol mob.
UPDATE: Jan. 8, 2021, 12:54 a.m. AEDT Capitol Police have corrected reports of an officer's death, with the force's union chairman telling DC local news that the officer remains on life support. This article has been updated to reflect that the current number of deaths linked with Wednesday's events is four.
UPDATE: Jan. 8, 2021, 4:30 p.m. AEDT Capitol Police officials have confirmed that USCP Officer Brian Sicknick died at 9.30 on Thursday evening of injuries sustained in a clash with rioters on Wednesday. This article has been updated.
Topics Donald Trump Politics
