Stephen Colbert calls out politicians for opposing Trump’s impeachment: ‘Your lies legitimised the fantasies of an anti-democratic mob’

Late Show Host’s comments come after Republicans disagreed with efforts to impeach Trump

Stephen Colbert has criticised Republican politicians who are against efforts to impeach Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection.  

Last week (6 January), pro-Trump rioters in Washington DC stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to disrupt Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election win.

A number of senior figures in the Republican party have since said they will vote to impeach Trump in the wake of the riots, but many are still refusing to do so.

“Republicans, what is your outreach to the other side? You don’t get to stay in the game if you don’t toss in a chip of good faith,” said The Late Show host. “The other side is going to stop this from happening again because they’re trying to get rid of the guy who caused it. What are you willing to do to help, because so far you have done nothing.”

His comments come after a number of Republicans argued that pursuing impeachment against Trump would further divide the US, and, on Tuesday (12 January), Vice President Mike Pence announced that he will not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.  

“So apparently it’s all water under the gallows now,” Colbert said, referring to the rioters’ calls to hang Pence and their parading of a noose at the Capitol. “I cannot fathom this self-destructive loyalty, but I guess it’s worth it for the reward.”

He added: “Your lies legitimised the fantasies of an anti-democratic mob that nearly got you and your colleagues killed and did get a policeman murdered. Now you want to use your hollow calls for unity to sweep it all under the rug?”

Earlier this week, Colbert compared the Capitol attacks by “homegrown terrorists”, in which five people died, to the 9/11 bombings.