Boebert denies sexual relationship allegations
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert denies allegations she had sexual relationships with three congressional staffers she supervised, calling recent claims from an anti-Boebert group whose super PAC terminated last year "filthy garbage."
The latest: David Wheeler, who leads American Muckrakers, sent a sworn complaint to the House Ethics Committee on Sept. 17, but committee rules bar it from being accepted within 60 days of an election.
- House rules prohibit members from engaging in sexual relationships with employees under their supervision.
Boebert represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District and faces Democrat Eileen Laubacher in the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Context: The allegations mark the latest chapter in a yearslong fight between Boebert and Wheeler's group, which launched FireBoebert.com in 2022 seeking information about her and her associates.
State of play: Wheeler alleges Boebert had sexual relationships with three current or former staffers and arranged payments to one staffer that Wheeler alleges were improper.
- His filing includes House payroll and campaign records documenting payments, but those records don't establish sexual relationships or that any payments were improper.
- Wheeler says unnamed sources have texts, bank records, court documents and recordings that support one alleged relationship.
- Axios has not reviewed those materials, and Wheeler hasn't publicly released them.
Neither Axios, nor other media outlets, have confirmed the allegations.
What they're saying: "You all ran a smear and called it news," Boebert said in a video, accusing journalists of falling for a "scam."
- Boebert added this week she initially planned to ignore the allegations but responded because they implicated her staff.
- "When you involve my team and lie about them, I have to stand up," she says.
Reality check: Wheeler's group has a history of making inaccurate claims about Boebert.
- In 2022, CNN identified at least five false claims from the group, which Wheeler acknowledged were inaccurate.
- The group alleged Boebert had worked as an escort and had two abortions.
- Boebert denied those allegations, and CNN reported at the time that the group had not provided evidence corroborating them.
Caveat: Wheeler's submission doesn't automatically launch an investigation. Outside complaints need written backing from a House member.
- Wheeler said Monday that no House member had provided that certification.
- House rules also reject formal complaints filed within 60 days before an election. Wheeler's submission was made 47 days before Election Day.
Tom Rust, the ethics committee's staff director and chief counsel, declined to comment.
What's next: No House Ethics Committee review has been announced.
The bottom line: "I hope you see how desperate these fools are to get me out of office," Boebert said. "To the rest of y'all, no, I'm not hiring."