Crockett Throws Colbert Under the Bus: ‘Federal Government Did Not Shut Down This Segment’

Screenshot via The Hill

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) weighed in on the growing scandal surrounding Stephen Colbert’s interview with her Senate primary opponent, Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D). Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Crockett made it clear that her understanding of why the Talarico interview was pulled from CBS’s airwaves was not due to federal government interference.

“We did receive information suggesting that the federal government did not shut down this segment, number one. That is my understanding — that the Federal Government did not, didn’t shut this down. And we will do an official statement once we get another official statement that we anticipate is going to be coming from Paramount,” Crockett said, adding:

Alright, so we will read what they say, and then we’ll go from there. It is our understanding that Colbert, either Mr. Colbert or CBS decide lets just not air it because of a fear that the FCC may say something to them, and that there may have been advice to just have me on, and then they could clear the issue. It was my understanding that someone somewhere decided we just don’t want to do that, and instead we’re going to just do it this way.

Crockett’s comments raised some eyebrows on the left as many on the right had slammed Colbert using a similar argument, claiming he had simply refused to have Crockett on. Progressive influencer Keith Edwards shared the clip from the Hill and added, “Crockett is essentially calling Talarico and Colbert liars and saying Trump and CBS are the ones telling the truth. Pretty sad stuff.”

CBS did indeed later release a statement on Tuesday, saying, “THE LATE SHOW was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico. The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled. THE LATE SHOW decided to present the interview through its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the broadcast rather than potentially providing the equal-time options.”

Colbert explained on his show Monday night that the FCC’s “equal time rule” was the given reason for the Talarico interview being yanked off the air. He instead ran the interview on the show’s YouTube channel, which is not under the jurisdiction of the FCC. CBS’s statement suggests that the network would have allowed the interview on air had Colbert also invited Crockett on his show for an equal amount of time and promotion.

Colbert hit back at CBS’s statement on Tuesday as well, escalating the very public feud with his own network, which has recently been bought by David Ellison, whose father, Larry Ellison, is a close ally of Trump.

The comic held up a paper with the CBS statement printed on it and said that “every word” of his Monday night script slamming the network was “approved by CBS’s lawyers who for the record approve every script that goes on the air.”

“In fact, between the monologue I did last night and before I did the second act talking about this issue, I had to go backstage. I got called backstage to get more notes from these lawyers – something that had never ever happened before – and they told us the language they wanted me to use to describe that equal time exception,” he continued. “And I used that language. So, I don’t know what this is about.”

Colbert continued by slamming CBS’s leadership and accusing them of capitulating to Trump’s FCC. “And for the lawyers to release this without even talking to me is really surprising. I don’t even know what to do with this crap,” he concluded, throwing the statement in the trash.

Crockett also acknowledged that Talarico was most likely helped by the controversy.

“The ‘Late Show’ decided that this was the option, and I think that it was a good strategy. I mean, look at what happened when they tried to censor CECOT,” Crockett said on MS NOW Tuesday night.

“We found out that you could get a lot more views,” she added, referring to the 60 Minutes segment that was initially pulled and ran at a later date. “So, I think it probably gave my opponent the boost he was looking for.”

“I think it’s probably better that [Talarico] didn’t get on and that they went straight to streaming because we know that when we resist and when we know that it seems like they’re trying to change the rules and bend to the knee of or bend the knee to this president, that it backfires in historic fashion,” she concluded.

Watch the clip above.

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