Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) shared she took no issue with Stephen Colbert finding a loophole so his sit-down with her political opponent, Texas State Rep. James Talarico, could see the light of day.
The congresswoman addressed the “Late Show” drama during a Tuesday appearance on MS NOW’s “The Briefing With Jen Psaki,” where she made it clear that she supported the late night host’s decision, even if it benefited Talarico.
“No. We didn’t have an issue. We’ve never run into an issue with Colbert,” Crockett said. “Supposedly, this FCC campaign complaint came about because I had more time than Mr. Talarico when I went on [The View] after I declared my candidacy.”
She added: “I will tell you, I have no love for Bari Weiss. I have no love for Brendan Carr, whatsoever. But I do think that … it’s important that we resist in this moment. So, there were a number of options that could’ve been put on the table. And, frankly, the ‘Late Show’ decided that this was the option and I think that it was a good strategy.”
However, Crockett did admit that the drama did give her opponent “the boost he was looking for,” adding, “So, I think it’s probably better that he didn’t get on and that they went straight to streaming.”
“We know that when we resist, and it seems like they’re trying to change the rules and bend the knee to this president, that it backfires in a historic fashion,” Crockett said.
Crockett also confirmed in her conversation with host Jen Psaki that she did not get a request from “The Late Show” to appear, but remained unbothered given the fact she’s been on the program before.
“If we would’ve gotten an offer, that would’ve been great,” she added. “But, we’re in the middle of early voting, so I’m kind of focused on being in Texas at this moment.”
Crockett’s comments come after Colbert pushed his interview with Talarico — who, like Crockett, is running for a U.S. senate seat in Texas — to YouTube and told his “Late Show” audience that he was told by CBS’ lawyers that he couldn’t air the segment due to FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s enforcement of the equal-time rule. The comedian also claimed that he was told that he couldn’t share why the interview would not air on CBS, but did so anyway.
CBS responded to Colbert’s claims on Tuesday, noting in a statement, “‘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.”
The move to YouTube proved to be a successful one for Colbert and Talarico, given their discussion garnered 3 million views in just 18 hours.
