Lauren Boebert Has a New Problem: The hits never stop. Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is one of the most controversial members of the House GOP. After having barely won her reelection in 2022 (by a mere 546 votes), Boebert has been subject to one controversy after another.
The most recent scandal is a claim from a hostile political group, known as End Citizens United PAC, accusing the Colorado Republican of illegally spending $60,000 on campaign calls during her reelection campaign in 2022.
For the record, because Boebert is such a lightning rod in American politics today, she is subject to much criticism. Some of it is unfair. Much of it, however, is well within the realm of fairness. In the case of this particular suspicion, it seems to fall into a gray area.
Campaign Finance Law is Tricky
After all, campaign law is often in the eye of the beholder. Nevertheless, it’s imperative to understand the details of these accusations. Especially because Boebert may be one of the reasons why the entire economy collapses this June if the debt ceiling negotiations fail (which they are likely to).
Part of Boebert’s reelection campaign involved “Get Out the Vote” phone calls. To do these calls, a campaign must spend money on them. Whenever any political campaign spends money, it must accurately report the expenditures (of a certain level) to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The complaint alleges that Boebert’s campaign inaccurately filed those expenditures with the FEC.
The End Citizens United PAC further accuses Boebert’s reelection campaign of failing to report independent expenditures. These allegations made by the Democratic Party-affiliated PAC are being sent to the FEC, in the hopes that the FEC will open an official investigation into the matter.
It’s less about real criminality here and more about smothering the unpopular—and politically weak—Boebert with so much dirt that the voters of Colorado’s Third District will welcome the chance to throw Boebert onto the rubbish heap and replace her with Adam Frisch, the Democrat who almost defeated her last year.
If this were the only controversy that stuck to Rep. Boebert, she’d be in good shape. The fact of the matter is, sadly, that this is but one of many controversies. This is likely an exaggerated claim that will not be Boebert’s undoing.
One of Many Controversies Swirling Around Lauren Boebert
But, in the grand scheme of her litany of controversies, this will likely serve to further weaken her already tenuous standing with her constituents. Colorado’s Third District is predominantly Republican and is flirting with voting for a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat in 2024.
Part of the reason for the antipathy among her own voters is the fact that Boebert comes across as unhinged, uncouth, and self-interested. You know about her desire to drive the country right off the fiscal cliff in June.
She alienated herself from many voters in January, when she led a, frankly, bizarre attempt to prevent Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from ascending to the House speakership. Boebert then got herself into hot water when she clearly used her position as a representative from Colorado to help get her son out of a tough legal situation.
Earlier this year, Boebert’s son was involved in a high-speed car accident. He was the driver. A friend of his, who was over the age of 18, was a passenger in the car.
When the police arrived, they found the overturned SUV full of marijuana and Xanax. The passenger was more injured than the young Boebert was. Yet, the police arrested and charged the friend in the passenger seat and basically let the young Boebert go.
Officially, this was because Lauren Boebert’s son was under the age of 18. Unofficially, there isn’t a person interviewed about this matter who doesn’t think that Rep. Boebert played a role in her son’s soft treatment by the police. Boebert’s constituents are aware of these issues. They don’t like the way their congresswoman has been acting. The voters are ready for a change.
In the wider context provided above, the claims of financial impropriety from Boebert’s reelection campaign just add to the growing repertoire of controversy that will eventually sink Boebert’s unlikely, shambolic congressional career.
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A 19FortyFive Senior Editor, Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (May 16), and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (July 23). Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
