While appearing on Glenn Beck's show Tuesday, Rep. Eric Massa admitted to "groping" several male staffers but said the contact was not sexual. Wednesday comedian Stephen Colbert enlisted the help of an intern to demonstrate how non-sexual groping works.
Massa is a victim in all this, claimed Colbert. After all, he was accosted in the Congressional gym by Rahm Emanuel.
"I am showering, naked as a jaybird, and here comes Rahm Emanuel, not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest, yelling at me," Massa alleged in a Sunday radio talk.
"What happened to the Constitutional guarantee of separation of showers?" joked Colbert.
"The point is, this is a made-up scandal to destroy him for opposing this healthcare plan. Because even if he groped some male staffers, as he said, it wasn't sexual," Colbert argued.
Massa had explained to Beck that there was "huge difference" between sexual and non-sexual groping.
Clearly on Massa's side, Colbert called over his intern, Jay, to demonstrate non-sexual groping.
"Come here, Jay. Come on. Come on. Alright. Alright, I'm going to grope you, but it's not going to be sexual. It's just going to be fun," Colbert advised.
As Colbert reached for his intern with both hands, a "technical difficulties" screen appeared followed by laughter from the audience.
Colbert soon reappeared with a stern-looking man in a suit standing behind him.
"I have been advised by the network attorney that we cannot show the totally non-sexual groping I just did with my intern jay for the last 30 minutes. So, you'll just have to trust me, there's a difference. And, I certainly hope Jay gets better," said Colbert.
This video is from Comedy Central's Colbert Report, broadcast March 10, 2010.
