By Kristina Peterson

 

LANSDOWNE, Va. – A Republican interloper crashed the House Democrats’ annual retreat on Friday, or at least someone who pretends to be one: the comedian Stephen Colbert.

 

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) invited the host of Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report” to speak privately before the House Democratic Caucus, gathered at the Lansdowne Resort for their annual retreat. Ms. Pelosi interviewed Mr. Colbert, who plays an arch-conservative news host on air.

 

“We assume this is Stephen Colbert’s attempt at bipartisanship,” said Ms. Pelosi’s spokesman, Drew Hammill.

 

House Democrats gave Mr. Colbert a standing ovation, before he spoke briefly and fielded some questions from lawmakers.

 

When asked by Rep. Gwen Moore (D., Wis.) about his character’s stance on women, he defended himself staunchly. “Some of my best friends are women. I spent nine months in one,” according to a Democratic aide.

 

District of Columbia delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton thanked Mr. Colbert for making fun of her on air and asked why more lawmakers weren’t appearing on his show.

 

“Someone who will remain Nancy Pelosi-less told Democrats to stop coming on the show,” he fired back.

 

Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee tweeted a photo of Mr. Colbert’s appearance, followed by a one-liner: “Republicans must embrace Hispanics unless science finds way for Hispanic women to give birth to old white men!”

 

Earlier this week, Mr. Colbert announced on his show that his older sister, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, is running to fill the South Carolina seat in the U.S. House vacated by Republican Tim Scott. GOP Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Mr. Scott to the U.S. Senate in December, replacing  Sen. Jim DeMint after he left to run the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank.

 

“Holy cow, my sister is running for Congress,” Mr. Colbert said Wednesday on his show, pledging to give “no free air time” to “Lulu,” one of his 10 siblings, and a former ocean carrier executive. Ms. Colbert Busch, now the director of business development at Clemson University’s Restoration Institute, announced her decision to run last month.

 

Mr. Colbert warned viewers that he would not be able to support his sister, who is running as a Democrat. “A, I take that as a personal affront and two, there are so many great choices on the Republican side,” he said, reeling off a list of candidates that included “former governor of the Appalachian Trail,” Mark Sanford.

 

The former South Carolina governor gained notoriety in 2009 when he disappeared, professing to be hiking the Appalachian Trail, before acknowledging that he was having an affair with an Argentine woman, to whom he is now engaged. A former sheriff, a state senator and a son of mogul Ted Turner have also announced plans to run for the House seat.

 

“Republicans are all over this election, like white on Republicans,” Mr. Colbert joked on his show. Helpfully, he offered GOP rivals some pointers gleaned from childhood for taking on his sister in debates: “right after she makes a good point, repeat it back to her in a dumb voice,” he advised.

 

Mr. Colbert has appeared before lawmakers before, testifying before a House subcommittee on immigration in September 2010. The comedian irked some lawmakers then, staying in character when he spoke about a visa program for farm workers.

 

House Democrats are scheduled to hear later Friday from former President Bill Clinton. (Update: Here’s our writeup of the Clinton remarks.)