Rep. Lauren Boebert scolded news outlets for running stories about an ethics complaint that alleged she had inappropriate sexual relationships with three staffers, including two women.
She called the complaint and the news coverage a “smear” and a “scam.”
In a social media video that she addressed to journalists, Ms. Boebert said, “You all ran a smear and called it news.”
“Some sloppy, desperate, obsessive hack stamps under oath on a fake filing so you’ll write penalty of perjury in the headline,” she said. “Yeah, that’s the whole freaking trick. It’s a scam, and you fell for it.”
The complaint was filed Thursday by American Muckrakers activist David Wheeler with the House Committee on Ethics. He accused the Colorado Republican of having relationships with former district director Clarice Navarro-Ratzlaff, district chief of staff Raven Finegan and former Chief of Staff Jeffrey Small.
House rules prohibit lawmakers from having intimate or sexual relationships with employees under their direct supervision.
Mr. Wheeler alleges Ms. Boebert paid Ms. Navarro-Ratzlaff $200,000 in March 2025 to keep her from filing a separate ethics complaint after she left the congresswoman’s office.
In the video, Ms. Boebert cited rules that would prevent the Ethics Committee from accepting the complaint, including rules against filing a complaint within 60 days of an election and the complaint’s lack of a mandatory written certification from a House member.
“Ethics isn’t even allowed to accept this garbage,” she said. “Yet all of you were more than willing to.”
Ms. Boebert also said the staff members are now “under attack” because news outlets published stories naming them.
Ms. Navarro-Ratzlaff dismissed the allegations as “entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous.”
Mr. Wheeler’s American Muckrakers has a history of making unsubstantiated claims against Ms. Boebert, including a 2022 allegation that she worked as an escort, which included a misidentified photo. The allegation was widely debunked.
Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina Republican, urged Ms. Boebert and her staff to pursue defamation lawsuits against “this guy and anyone that spread this garbage.”
“The standard for defamation is easier for your employees,” she said, urging them to get a lawyer.
At the end of Ms. Boebert’s video, she said, “I hate to spoil the fan fiction, but y’all need to do better.”
“I hope you see how desperate these fools are to get me out of office,” she said. “And I gotta say just one more thing before I sign off here to the rest of y’all: No, I’m not hiring.”
The House Ethics Committee and congressional leadership have faced heightened scrutiny of sexual misconduct after a rash of scandals this year. Rep. Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican, resigned over an affair with a staffer who killed herself, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, California Democrat, resigned after a series of sexual misconduct allegations, including an alleged rape.
The Ethics Committee has investigated 20 sexual misconduct accusations against members since 2017.
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