Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., has attracted controversy before, but now she could have just landed herself in serious trouble with the law.
Police in Silt, Colorado, have confirmed an investigation into an apparent altercation between U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert and her ex-husband Jayson Boebert while dining at a restaurant.
Boebert denies the allegations and she vowed to explore legal action over the “false claims.”
“I didn’t punch Jayson in the face and no one was arrested,” Boebert’s campaign said in a statement. “No one was arrested. I will be consulting with my lawyer about the false claims he made against me and evaluate all of my legal options.”
Jayson, Boebert’s ex-husband, called the police himself, one police aide told The Daily Beast.
The police department has declined to confirm certain details, including the name of the person who called the police.
According to the police aide, Boebert had met Jayson to pick up one of her kids from his house. At the house, she tried to rebuff an unwanted hug from her husband, and she later agreed to meet him in public for an apology.
According to the report, Boebert punched Jayson while in public after the “lewd” and “disrespectful” ex-husband allegedly “made a motion… to grab her,” the aide claimed.
“I made a mistake. We both overreacted. I only want what’s best for [the] boys,” Jayson Boebert told The Daily Beast. “I only want what’s best for her… It’s probably just best that I remain silent.”
Jayson Boebert told the Denver Post that he wouldn’t press charges.
Officers planned to talk with witnesses and ask the restaurant owners for any video that might have captured what happened, Police Chief Mike Kite told the Associated Press.
Observers are anticipating the release of camera footage. “I’m just waiting for the video of Lauren Boebert punching her estranged husband in the nose at that restaurant called ‘The Miner’s Shaft’ in Slit, Colorado,” one person tweeted.
The congresswoman is worrying about a “he said/she said” situation, according to the aide.
She added in her statement, “This is a sad situation for all and another reason I’m moving.”
On Dec. 27, Boebert announced that she was switching congressional districts this year to run for a seat representing the eastern side of Colorado. The new district, rated R+13, ranks as the most conservative one in Colorado, and it’s recently become open with the retirement of Republican Rep. Ken Buck.
Boebert is currently serving her second term in a district encompassing western Colorado. However, she won her 2022 election by only about 500 votes.
In her current district, Boebert likely would have faced the same deep-pocketed challenger from 2022.
Despite her relatively short time in Washington, Boebert has become a magnet for scandals, and she’s failed to raise as much money as other colleagues, like Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene.
In September, Boebert and a guest were kicked out of a musical performance of “Beetlejuice” in Denver after guests complained they were vaping, singing, using phones, and causing a disturbance. She later apologized.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.