Boebert Watch: More Out-of-This-World Action from the Colorado Congresswoman

On November 13, U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert was back at work, cracking wise with jokes both intended and not. During much of the election season, she kept a relatively low profile in Congress, trying not to remind voters in the 4th Congressional District just how embarrassing she's been to her current constituents in CD3.

The gambit paid off for Boebert, and her overt carpetbagging campaign was successful; on November 5, she was elected to continue to represent Colorado in the U.S. House, albeit from CD4, on the other side of the state.

But now she was back in prime crazy-town form, speaking up at a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing regarding “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth,” in which she talked about unspecified "rumors that have come up the Hill" of “a secretive project within the Department of Defense involving the manipulation of human genetics with what is described as non-human genetic material for the enhancement of human capabilities, hybrids.”

She went on to ask the four empaneled experts if they'd ever heard of something like that. All four responded no.
Boebert had begun using her five minutes allotted for questions with this: "May as well go out and say it: The earth is flat, birds are government drones, and we've never set foot on the Moon, and Joe Biden received 81 million votes in the 2020 election." Not only was the joke unfunny, but it was difficult to tell how many of those conspiracy theories she actually buys.

Boebert is now heading into a third term of federal service after the highlights of the first two were mostly lowlights: the very things she was running from in switching districts, the very things she wanted voters to ignore so they'd re-elect her to Congress.

In case anyone's forgotten Boebert's real record for Colorado representation, here are ten of her most notable political moments:

Love for QAnon Nonsense
In the relatively halcyon days before Boebert was first elected, back when the GOP was slightly more rational and she was just a failing restaurateur focusing more on guns than good grub, she dabbled — at least — in the QAnon stuff. "Everything that I've heard of Q, I hope that this is real," she said on a pro-Q podcast in 2020. "Because it only means that America is getting stronger and better, and people are returning to conservative values."

"Today is 1776"
Boebert posted this on Twitter the morning of the January 6, 2021, insurrection, even before the crowds surged into the U.S. Capitol, disgracing the very foundation of American government. There was a brief ethics investigation, but like many of the questions surrounding one of the darkest days in our nation, it was quickly pushed aside in the interest of moving ahead. But Boebert's position on fomenting sedition are still clear and present.

Massive Money Misappropriation, Oh, My
The Federal Election Commission was busy with Boebert back in the spring of 2021, looking into issues like a flat-out unbelievable mileage reimbursement of well over $20K paid from election funds to Boebert's personal accounts for supposedly driving an average of 175 miles per day during the months of the pandemic when very little was happening outside of people's homes — to which Boebert was clearly not going. Then came issues with Venmo payments from campaign funds to cover rent and utilities on her faltering restaurant Shooters Grill. And then came news that her then-husband Jayson had made an unreported $478,000 the previous year working as a consultant for an energy firm — while Boebert sat on the House Natural Resources Committee. None of these issues spoke well of Boebert's faithfulness to government, fair play or the truth — none of which American voters as a majority seem to care about much anymore.

Merry AK Christmas!
For Christmas 2021, Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie sent out a Christmas greeting featuring his heavily-armed family in front of a bedecked Tannenbaum, with the joyous message "Santa, please bring ammo." Boebert quickly upped the ante with a photo of her with her kids, likewise holding many guns. "I promise not everyone in Kentucky is an insensitive asshole," wrote Representative John Yarmuth, Kentucky Democrat, in response to Massie's card. Same for Colorado, Representative Yarmuth. Same.

Screaming at the State of the Union
What could be more statesmanlike than screaming accusations at a ceremonial presidential address? In March 2022, Boebert teamed up with gal pal Marjorie Taylor Greene to yell interruptions at President Joe Biden. Sure, disrespect is almost a staple at presidential addresses now (at least when the POTUS is a Democrat — thanks, GOP), but it was Boebert who helped to start the unfortunate trend. Boebert and Greene would have a notable falling-out not too long after this event, with Greene calling Boebert a "little bitch." But then, the bitchy mean girls always have their spats in the lunchroom.

Defunding the Disinformation Act
In May 2022, Boebert struck a blow for those in favor of misinforming the public — namely, the entirety of the current GOP — when she took on the Disinformation Act, a flawed but well-meaning attempt to stop "malicious Internet activity" that promotes the flow of broken and purposefully dishonest information to the American public. Misidentifying such material as protected under free speech, Boebert began to refer to the Disinformation Act as the "Ministry of Truth" and likening it to the policies of Stalin and Mao. But here's the real question: Does Boebert know anything — even one thing — about the policies of Stalin or Mao? And does she realize that when she borrows someone else's reference to the Ministry of Truth, she's referring to Orwell's 1984 and not Harry Potter?

The Un-Separation of Church and State
The summer of 2022 saw Boebert dig even deeper into revisionist history as a defense for terrible contemporary legislation in claiming in a speech to Basalt's Cornerstone Christian Center that “The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church." She went on to further twist the legacy of Thomas Jefferson by claiming "that is not how our Founding Fathers intended it. I’m tired of this 'separation of church and state' junk. That’s not in the Constitution. It was in a stinking letter [Jefferson's], and it means nothing like they say it does.”

Banning Books
Boebert picked up the conservative trend of book banning in the summer of 2023, when she attempted to amend the National Defense Authorization Act to include a ban on the purchase of "pornographic books" by military schools. It's the definition of "pornographic" that's at issue here: Boebert slapped that label on six books almost assuredly chosen for their extremity, and none of which were extreme in any way outside that of a very far-right-wing anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.

Being Bounced Out of Beetlejuice
There's a reason that a recent Vanity Fair piece referred to Boebert as a "theater enthusiast," and it's not because of her support for the arts. It was big news in September 2023 when she was ejected from Denver's Buell Theatre and caused a very Karen-like scene complete with finger-wagging bluster; it became an even bigger story when it was revealed that she'd been vaping at her seat...and also engaging in some too-public heavy petting with her new boyfriend. Classy.

Governing by Arrogation
In April 2024, Boebert indulged in just one of the more recent examples of her vehemently opposing a bill and then taking credit for it when it passes anyway. This time, it was the Appropriations bill, which Boebert had dubbed in posts on X a "monstrosity," and said that it did not "have my support, and no true conservative should vote for it.” In a subsequent press release, Boebert claimed, "I’m thrilled that Colorado communities in the Third [district] will receive more than $20 million to get 10 local water and infrastructure projects off the ground. Can’t wait for the ribbon cuttings and to see these projects come to fruition.”

Duplicity has been a hallmark of the Boebert strategy from the beginning, a strategy that too many of her new constituents seem to support — or at least excuse away.