Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is publicly denying allegations that she had sexual relationships with members of her congressional staff, including two women, declaring that she is neither lesbian nor bisexual and insisting she never had an inappropriate relationship with an employee.
“Well, I’m not a lesbian or bisexual, and I have never, ever been in any inappropriate relationship, nor have I ever been sexually involved with any staff,” Boebert said in an interview published over the weekend with Capitol Hill reporter Juliegrace Brufke.
Her comments mark her most direct personal response since a sworn complaint was filed with the House Committee on Ethics on Sept. 17 accusing the Colorado Republican of relationships with three current or former staff members.
A spokesperson for Boebert separately called the accusations “utterly false” and said there was “no truth to them whatsoever.”
“This is nothing more than a politically motivated stunt designed to manipulate the ethics process, create headlines, smear her, and generate clickbait,” the spokesperson said.
The complaint was filed by David B. Wheeler of American Muckrakers and names former district director Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff, current District Chief of Staff Raven Finegan and former Chief of Staff Jeffrey Small.
House rules prohibit members of Congress from engaging in sexual relationships with employees under their supervision unless the individuals are married. The existence of a complaint, however, does not establish that any violation occurred.
Navarro, who is the focus of many of the complaint’s allegations, has also issued a categorical denial.
“These allegations regarding me are entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous,” Navarro told the Colorado Times Recorder. “There is absolutely no truth to any part of this claim.”
The filing alleges Boebert and Navarro maintained a relationship beginning in 2021 and continuing until Navarro left Boebert’s office in January 2025.
It further alleges encounters occurred in locations including Boebert’s district office, hotels and a vehicle for which mileage reimbursements were collected.
The complaint also claims Boebert arranged an approximately $200,000 payment to Navarro in March 2025 after Navarro allegedly threatened to file an ethics complaint of her own. Boebert and Navarro both dispute the broader accusations.
Wheeler has said his allegations are supported by records and sources with direct knowledge, including purported text messages, bank records, court documents and recorded conversations. Much of the material concerning the alleged relationships, however, relies on unnamed sources, and the allegations have not been independently substantiated.
Boebert’s team has also pointed to Wheeler’s past reporting about her in challenging his credibility.
In 2022, Wheeler promoted allegations involving Boebert that included the mistaken use of another woman’s photograph. He later acknowledged that portions of the research had been “sloppy,” according to reporting cited by the Daily Beast.
Boebert’s former husband, Jayson Boebert, has also rejected the latest allegations, reportedly describing Wheeler’s account as a “fairy tale made up propaganda” and saying the activist had unreliable sources, per The Daily Beast.
The House Ethics Committee has not publicly announced that it has opened a formal investigation into the allegations.
The latest development shifts the story from the allegations themselves to Boebert’s direct response: she is denying both the claimed sexual relationships and the suggestion that she had same-sex relationships with members of her staff.
