WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW."

I'M YOUR HOST STEPHEN COLBERT.

YOU KNOW, WHEN I SAW THE EVENTS AT THE CAPITOL LAST WEDNESDAY, I

WAS MORE UPSET THAN I CAN EVER REMEMBER.

I THINK I SAID SO ON AIR, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SAID TO ME

SENSE, WHAT ABOUT 9/11, STEPHEN?

WELL, YEAH, THAT IS THE MOST HORRIBLE DAY IN AMERICA'S

HISTORY, BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT NO AMERICANS WERE CHEERING TORE

THE TERRORISTS BACK THEN, NO ONE WAS MAKING EXCUSES FOR THE

TERRORISTS, NO ONE WAS PRETENDING THEY WEREN'T

TERRITORIES.

AND NOW THAT WE'VE HAD TIME TO LEARN MORE AND SEE MORE OF WHAT

HAPPENED ON THAT TERRIBLE DAY LAST WEEK, ALL I CAN THINK IS,

OH, STEPHEN FROM LAST WEEK, YOU SWEET, NAIVE CHILD, HOW COULD

YOU HAVE BEEN SO CALM?

BECAUSE THIS ATTACK WAS FAR WORSE THAN IT FIRST LOOKED.

THE TERRORISTS WHO STORMED THE CAPITOL WEREN'T JUST A BUNCH

OFIA HOOSE FED A STEADY DIET OF LIES, FAKE JUICE AND MONSTER

ENERGY DRINK, THIS WAS A COORDINATED AND PLANNED ATTEMPT

TO TERRORIZE IF NOT KILL OUR NATION'S ELECTED LEADERS.

AND THE PROMPTER JUST SAID, INSERT JOKE HERE.

CAN WE GET A JOKE IN HERE LATER?

JUST PUT IT IN POST.

THANKS.

BECAUSE WE'RE LEARNING THOSE RIOTERS BROUGHT MORE THAN JUST

STUPID HATS AND PATCHY BEARDS.

THE CHIEF OF THE CAPITOL POLICE, WHO HAS SINCE RESIGNED, WAS

SHOCKED BY WHAT HE SAW, TELLING THE "WASHINGTON POST:"

"THEY CAME WITH RIOT HELMETS, GAS MASKS, SHIELDS, PEPPER

SPRAY, FIREWORKS, CLIMBING GEAR.

CLIMBING GEAR!

EXPLOSIVES, METAL PIPES, BASEBALL BATS."

HOLY DICK'S SPORTING GOODS.

MEANWHILE, AT THE GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS, THEY WOULDN'T LET

YOU BRING A HOAGIE BECAUSE IT MIGHT'VE MADE THE POLICE HANGRY.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S WORSE!

HERE'S A FOR-SOME-REASON UNDER-REPORTED DETAIL:

PIPE BOMBS WERE FOUND AT BOTH THE D.N.C. AND R.N.C. BUILDINGS,

WHICH THE FORMER CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF NOW SUSPECTS WERE AN

INTENTIONAL EFFORT TO DRAW OFFICERS AWAY FROM THE CAPITOL

PERIMETER.

THAT'S SOME PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL INSURGENCY TACTICS, COMMITTED BY

HOMEGROWN TERRORISTS ON A JUGHEAD JIHAD.

THEY'RE YEE-HAWDIS!

TO UNDERSTAND THE HORROR THAT WAS PERPETRATED IN OUR CAPITOL

BUILDING, JUST LOOK AT GRAPHIC MOMENTS LIKE THESE, WHERE

RIOTERS NEARLY CRUSHED AN OFFICER TO DEATH IN A DOORWAY,

AND GRABBED ANOTHER OFFICER, DRAGGED HIM DOWN THE STEPS, AND

PROCEEDED TO BEAT HIM WITH POLES BEARING THE AMERICAN FLAG, WHILE

CHANTING "USA!" SO IT'S HARD TO PIN DOWN WHAT

THESE IDIOTS BELIEVE IN.

BLACK LIVES MATTER?

OH, NO.

BLUE LIVES MATTER?

YES, BUT ONLY IF WE'RE NOT CURRENTLY TRYING TO MURDER THEM

WITH THE STARS AND STRIPES.

IT COULD'VE BEEN EVEN WORSE.

ANOTHER TERRORIST WAS ARRESTED AFTER AUTHORITIES SEARCHED HIS

CAR AND FOUND 11 MOLOTOV COCKTAILS.

IF YOU THINK IT'S WRONG TO CALL THESE PEOPLE TERRORISTS,

CONSIDER THIS-- YOU'RE WRONG.

ACCORDING TO G.O.P. CONGRESSMAN PETER MEYER, SOME REPUBLICANS

"KNEW IN THEIR HEART OF HEARTS THAT THEY SHOULD'VE VOTED TO

CERTIFY BIDEN'S WIN, BUT SOME HAD LEGITIMATE CONCERNS ABOUT

THE SAFETY OF THEIR FAMILIES."

THEY CAPITULATED TO ARMED, VIOLENT EXTREMISTS.

THAT'S THE G.O.P.'S NEW MOTTO: "WE DON'T NEGOTIATE WITH

TERRORISTS-- WE JUST GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT."

NO SURPRISE, THE PEOPLE WHO SURVIVED THIS VIOLENT ATTACK ARE

A LITTLE CRANKY.

THIS MORNING, HOUSE DEMOCRATS FORMALLY INTRODUCED AN ARTICLE

OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.

SO IT'S TIME FOR OUR HOPED-I'D-NEVER-SEE-SEQUEL:

"DON AND THE GIANT IMPEACH 2: GO FAST, WE'RE FURIOUS."

>> YOU KNEW DAMN WELL I WAS A SNAKE BEFORE YOU TOOK ME IN!

( GROWLING ) >> STEPHEN: NOW, SOME PEOPLE ARE

SAYING, "WHY BOTHER?

HE'S ONLY GOT NINE DAYS LEFT IN OFFICE."

TO THEM I REPLY, "HE'S GOT NINE DAYS LEFT IN OFFICE!"

YOU CAN DO A LOT IN NINE DAYS.

IT'S ENOUGH TO CREATE THE UNIVERSE, AND THEN TAKE A

THREE-DAY WEEKEND.

FOR PETE'S SAKE, SIX DAYS AGO, THE PRESIDENT HADN'T INSPIRED

MURDER IN THE CAPITOL.

MIGHT'VE BEEN HANDY TO HAVE IMPEACHED HIM WAY BACK THEN!

BUT IMPEACHMENT DOES TAKE TIME.

TIME DEMOCRACY MAY NOT HAVE.

WHICH IS WHY HOUSE DEMOCRATS INTRODUCED A RESOLUTION TODAY

THAT CALLS ON MIKE PENCE TO REMOVE THE PRESIDENT UNDER THE

25TH AMENDMENT.

DEMOCRATS AND MIKE PENCE MIGHT MAKE STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, BUT AS

LONG AS MOTHER'S IN THE ROOM, IT'S TECHNICALLY ALLOWED.

IT'S KOSHER.

I MEAN, IT'S NOT KOSHER, BUT YOU GET THE IDEA.

SO FAR, PENCE APPEARS TO HAVE LITTLE APPETITE FOR GOING

FORWARD WITH THAT.

OKAY, HOW DO WE INCREASE HIS APPETITE?

HAVE THEY TRIED SLATHERING THE 25TH AMENDMENT WITH MAYO, AND

SLAPPING IT BETWEEN TWO SLICES OF WONDERBREAD?

YOU'D THINK PENCE WOULD BE MORE INTO THE IDEA, CONSIDERING WHAT

THE RIOTERS WERE CHANTING: >> HANG MIKE PENCE!

>> HANG MIKE PENCE!

>> HANG MIKE PENCE!

>> HANG MIKE PENCE!

>> STEPHEN: WHAT PART OF "HANG MIKE PENCE" DOES MIKE

PENCE NOT UNDERSTAND?

IT'S HIS NAME AND ONE VERB!

EITHER MIKE PENCE IS UNBELIEVABLY FORGIVING OR HE

JUST GETS OFF ON EROTIC ASPHYXIATION.

EITHER WAY, HE'S LIVING UP TO THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF NATHAN

HALE: "I REGRET I HAVE BUT ONE LIFE TO

GIVE FOR THE PRESIDENT WHO WANTS HIS FOLLOWERS TO MURDER ME."

BY THE WAY, CROWD, IF YOU'RE GOING TO HANG MIKE PENCE, YOU'VE

GOT TO CATCH HIM FIRST!

BUT THE VEEP HASN'T ENTIRELY RULED OUT INVOKING THE 25TH.

REPORTEDLY, PENCE WANTS TO PRESERVE THE OPTION IN CASE THE

PRESIDENT BECOMES MORE UNSTABLE.

"MORE UNSTABLE?" REALLY?

"UH, MR. DAHMER, WE'VE BEEN THROUGH YOUR FREEZER, AND WE ARE

DISTURBED BY WHAT WE FOUND.

I'M LETTING YOU OFF WITH A WARNING THIS TIME, BUT IF WE SEE

ANY SIGNS THAT YOU'RE FEELING SNACKY, THERE WILL BE

SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.

ANYWAY, SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOUR DINNER."

PENCE ISN'T THE ONLY REPUBLICAN LOOKING TO GIVE THE PRESIDENT A

PASS.

SO IS HOUSE MINORITY LEADER AND MAN POINTING TO WHERE HIS BALLS

USED TO BE, KEVIN MCCARTHY.

ON FRIDAY, MCCARTHY ARGUED, "IMPEACHING THE PRESIDENT WITH

JUST 12 DAYS LEFT IN HIS TERM WILL ONLY DIVIDE OUR COUNTRY

MORE."

WELL, MAYBE OUR COUNTRY NEEDS TO BE DIVIDED.

BY PRISON GLASS.

WE CAN STILL TALK, KEVIN, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO PICK UP

THE LITTLE PHONE.

WHAT KEV NEEDS TO REALIZE, IS THAT IF YOU FLIRT WITH FASCISM

LONG ENOUGH, BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOU'RE MARRIED WITH TWO

KIDS, ADOLF AND BENITO.

AND HEY, ALL YOU HAND-WRINGING HYPOCRITES: EVERYONE WANTS THE

UNITED STATES UNITED.

IT'S KIND OF OUR THING.

YOU KNOW, ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE.

BUT SPEAKING OF GOD, WHAT I LEARNED IN SUNDAY SCHOOL IS THAT

IN ORDER FOR THERE TO BE RECONCILIATION, THERE MUST FIRST

BE REPENTANCE.

IT'S WHY YOU DON'T BEGIN CONFESSION WITH, "BLESS ME,

FATHER, I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG, ANTIFA COVETED MY NEIGHBOR'S

WIFE."

WHO COULD BLAME HIM?

LOOK AT THE CAN ON HER.

ANOTHER REPUBLICAN DEEP IN DENIAL IS MISSOURI SENATOR AND

MAN WITH RESTING JOKER FACE ROY BLUNT.

YESTERDAY, BLUNT WAS ON THE NATION FACE, AND EXPLAINED WE

DON'T NEED TO IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE'S LEARNED

HIS LESSON.

>> NOW, MY PERSONAL VIEW IS THAT THE PRESIDENT TOUCHED THE HOT

STOVE ON WEDNESDAY AND IS UNLIKELY TO TOUCH IT AGAIN.

>> STEPHEN: UNLIKELY!

"I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THERE'S NO CHANCE THAT HE WILL USE A

PERSONAL ARMY OF PARAMILITARY TERRORISTS TO OVERTHROW

THE GOVERNMENT.

BUT YOU KNOW, 60-40.

LET'S ROLL THE DICE TOGETHER!

COME ON, DADDY NEEDS A PANIC ROOM UNDER THE ROTUNDA!"

SNAKE EYES!

AND BY THE WAY, HE'S "UNLIKELY TO TOUCH THE HOT STOVE AGAIN?"

THE PRESIDENT ISN'T EXACTLY FAMOUS FOR NOT TOUCHING THINGS

HE SHOULDN'T.

MAY I REMIND YOU, ROY BOY: THE POTUS DIDN'T JUST INCITE A

CROWD TO RIOT, THE PRESIDENT WAS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING

OF THE RALLY, SENDING MULTIPLE TWEETS ENCOURAGING HIS FOLLOWERS

TO COME TO WASHINGTON ON JANUARY 6, AND PROMISING "BE THERE, WILL

BE WILD!" HE DIDN'T TOUCH THE STOVE.

HE RENTED AN APARTMENT, BOUGHT A STOVE, INSTALLED IT, STUFFED IN