Lauren Boebert: A timeline of her controversies
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U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert is no stranger to controversy, and her history is emerging as a major issue in her bid for Colorado's 4th District seat.
Why it matters: Her Republican rivals are repeatedly pointing to her embarrassing "drama" and "scandals" as a reason not to send her back to Washington, D.C.
What they're saying: "We can do better than Lauren Boebert," rival Jerry Sonnenberg says in his TV ad.
The other side: The attention on Boebert gives her strong name recognition across Colorado and an advantage in the June primary, where a poll and campaign finance reports show her with a strong lead.
The intrigue: We took a look at Boebert's headline-grabbing moments since 2020.
Trump's hush-money trial
In May, Boebert accused a New York judge in the case against former President Trump of being "corrupt" and made other false statements about the hush-money coverup trial.
"Beetlejuice" incident
Boebert is kicked out of the Buell Theatre Sept. 10, 2023 for vaping, recording and causing a disturbance during a performance of the musical "Beetlejuice."
- A surveillance video later showed her and her date groping each other at the show.
- Boebert initially said she was removed for singing too loud, but an incident report later cited complaints about vaping and being disruptive. She later apologized for her behavior, saying she "simply fell short of my values."
Missed debt ceiling vote
In June 2023, Boebert missed a vote on the debt ceiling and said it was a "no show protest."
- However, a CNN camera caught her running up the stairs of the U.S. Capitol racing to get to the House chamber.
State of the Union interruptions
Boebert heckled President Biden with repeated interruptions during the State of the Union address March 1, 2022, shouting "build the wall" and interjecting when Biden was talking about battlefield conditions that contribute to veterans getting cancer.
- She drew rebukes from Republican and Democratic lawmakers for the outbursts.
Transgender children
Boebert told a Republican women's luncheon in October 2022 that a Durango school was "putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats" — a statement later refuted by the district and condemned by LGBTQ advocates as transphobic.
White Christian nationalist rhetoric
Speaking at a religious service in June 2022, Boebert said she's "tired of this separation of church and state junk that's not in the Constitution."
- An expert called the statement "false, misleading and dangerous."
- She later made more white Christian nationalist statements in September 2022 at a Bible college in Colorado.
Anti-Muslim statements
In November 2021, video surfaced of comments Boebert made suggesting that U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who is Muslim, is a terrorist.
- Boebert later apologized "to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar."
Jan. 6 tweets
At 8:30am on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Boebert posted to Twitter that "Today is 1776," a comment perceived as encouraging the mob outside the U.S. Capitol.
- Later that day, amid the insurrection, she tweeted that "The Speaker has been removed from the chambers," even though other members were told not to make any social media posts.
2020 election fraud
Boebert makes one of many statements alleging the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump. In December 2020, she wrote on social media, "An election just happened. There was fraud."
QAnon links
Ahead of her election in 2020, Boebert expressed support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon.
- "Everything that I've heard of Q, I hope that this is real because it only means that America is getting stronger and better, and people are returning to conservative values," she said.