Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert is slated to testify in front of a House immigration subcommittee, and it's "not a TV stunt," reports the Daily Caller.
According to an exclusive report from Jonathan Strong, the host of the nightly Colbert Report will appear "in character" in front of the committee on Friday to talk about the Union of Farm Workers' "Take Our Jobs" initiative.
A spokesperson for the House Judiciary Committee told the Caller that Colbert's appearance is "a serious issue ... this is not a TV stunt."
If confirmed, Colbert's appearance in front of a House subcommittee will mark yet another blurring of the line between politics and Comedy Central's late-night political talk shows.
Responding to Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally last month, Colbert and Daily Show host Jon Stewart both announced rallies to be held in Washington, DC. Stewart's rally is being dubbed the "Rally to Restore Sanity," while Colbert's tongue-in-cheek rally will be titled the "March to Keep Fear Alive."
But while those rallies are meant to be satirical, Colbert's appearance on the Hill will reportedly be in earnest.
The Daily Caller reports that it all began in July, when Colbert interviewed UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, who unveiled his union's "Take Our Jobs" initiative -- a campaign asking Americans to take over the jobs being performed by undocumented workers. It is meant to highlight the argument that illegal immigrants aren't taking Americans' jobs because Americans don't want the sorts of jobs illegal immigrants perform.
Colbert signed on to "take" one of the farm jobs being performed by an undocumented worker, and reportedly appeared at a "Take Our Jobs" event with Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). His testimony in front of the subcommittee on immigration will reportedly deal with his appearance at the event.
