Stephen Colbert Testifies in Front of Congress: Video, Quotes and Highlights

Stephen Colbert, leader of Colbert Nation and host of Comedy Central's Colbert Report, testified in front of a congressional subcommittee on Friday. He was invited to the U.S. House hearing for an immigration and citizenship subcommittee by Representative Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California.

Yes, he showed up as the Stephen Colbert we would all expect, the in your face, righteously right-winger that hosts the cable program. In other words, he was in full character and in top form, and his testimony was filled with plenty of jokes, and a full monologue style of banter. With the Colbert Report traditionally only airing new episodes Monday-Thursday, the Friday appearance in front of Congress seemed worthy enough for the full team of writers to help join the fold and provide Colbert with an adequate supply of jokes, apparently.

You can view the video of the Colbert congressional testimony here. Those that watch his show will see that he didn't miss a beat with his testimony, and he was just as comfortable as he was behind his desk and in front of his studio audience, as he berates his guests and plays the part of the uber-Republican. For those that don't actually watch the program and aren't familiar with him, yes, Stephen Colbert is playing a character, and yes, he plays it well.

Amongst the highlights were Colbert offering himself up to take pictures with the grandchildren of the congressional members, and boasting that his appearance would lead to some nice C-SPAN coverage for the hearing. Of course, everything that Colbert does gets huge publicity, so the hearing will actually move into the center stage of American politics for the time being, clearly the intention of Colbert despite his not offering much actual insight in the testimony itself.

Colbert also joked that the "obvious" solution to so many foreign laborers operating in the fruit and vegetable farms across the country is for Americans to stop eating so many fruits and vegetables. He also joked that judging from the obesity statistics, it's a plan that we have already started in full force.

Righteous right-winger that the host of the Colbert Report is, he is of course vehemently opposed to immigrants taking the jobs of hardworking, moral Americans. He joked that his great-grandfather, who came to the United States himself, wouldn't have wanted immigrants to overrun the place.

Colbert was almost tossed out of the hearing before it began for causing such so much of a raucous. But he was allowed to say his piece, and he certainly brought in plenty of media coverage for what would have otherwise been a largely forgettable congressional hearing.

Tied with Colbert's congressional testimony was a segment he did for his show, where he spent a day picking vegetables at a New York farm, and learned for himself the actual struggles and trials that these laborers deal with each and every day.