"I would like to submit a video of my colonoscopy into the Congressional Record," Stephen Colbert said (in character) to the lawmakers. "Sorry for saying cornpacker, I know it's an offensive term for gay Iowans," he directed at conservative Iowa Rep. Steve King. And he made reference to getting a "Brazilian" — a wax-based hair-removal service in a very delicate area of the body — from a Chilean at a spa serving tomatoes sliced by a Guatemalan. All of that was quite different from the “prepared” testimony passed out to the media before he spoke - a bland, seemingly straightforward speech on migrant workers in America.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hadn’t seen Cobert's testimony, but applauded him for testifying before Congress. “Of course I think it’s appropriate. He's an American, right? He came before the committee. He has a point of view. He can bring attention to an important issue like immigration. I think it's great.” Meanwhile, Rep. Judy Chu defended Colbert's appearance, noting that Republican-led committees had invited celebrities such as Elmo the muppet to testify in the past.
Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers implored Colbert to simply enter his testimony into the record without speaking, to which Colbert replied, “No hablo Ingles”. Colbert began by recalling his day in fields at the invitation of the president of the United Farm Workers union. “Please don’t make me do this again, it is really, really hard...Most soil is at ground level. If we can put a man on the moon, how come we can’t make the earth waist-high. Come on, where is the funding?!"
News that Colbert would be testifying on the Hill had some fans lining up as early as 6:30 a.m. for a seat, and higher media attention than typical committee hearings, but if anything it succeeded in putting some focus on the migrants and Americans who pick fruits and vegetables in our country. Fottage of this testimony can be found here.
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