Lauren Boebert, the newly-elected Colorado Congresswoman who is facing calls to resign today over allegations that she helped incite the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, has a history of involvement with the extremist groups behind the event.
The gun-enthusiast and political newcomer objected to the certification of the 2020 Presidential election results Wednesday after months of echoing President Trump’s baseless claims about fraud.
“Madame Speaker, I have constituents outside this building right now and I promised to be their voice,” said Boebert on the House floor mere moments before the pro-Trump rioters invaded the building. Earlier that day, Boebert tweeted, “Today is 1776.”
Some have alleged that Boebert was attempting to aid rioters who were searching for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by tweeting information about her whereabouts during the attack.
Later that day, Boebert attempted to back away from the rioters she earlier referred to as her constituents, saying they “were not conservative” and potentially nodding to the conspiracy that Antifa was behind the riot.
Now, just a week after being sworn into Congress, some are calling for Boebert’s removal.
As some national news outlets have reported, Boebert’s former campaign manager Sherronna Bishop once praised the Proud Boys, a white supremacist hate group that was among those who attacked the Capitol. Over the past several months, the Colorado Times Recorder has reported extensively on Boebert’s ties to far-right extremist groups and conspiracies. Here’s what we’ve found:
Boebert’s ties to far-right militias and gun extremists
Boebert has long embraced the far-right militia movement, appearing at events with them and even asking members of the III% United Patriots, also known as the “Three Percenters,” to provide security at campaign events, as reported by CTR’s Erik Maulbetsch in July. The group had a strong presence at Wednesday’s riot.
Boebert appeared at a rally in opposition to Colorado’s “red flag” gun law in December of 2019 alongside members of the Three Percenters and the Proud Boys, Maulbetsch reported at the time.
This summer, Boebert tweeted, “I am the militia. #2A #WeThePeople.”
She also posted this professional photo with the Colorado “Boots on the Ground” Bikers for Trump group, which includes a man wearing a “Three Percenter” patch.
In May, when armed militia members entered the Michigan Capitol over COVID-19 orders, Boebert tweeted that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer “should not be in power,” and that “she’s become an outright tyrant.”
RELATED: “This Summer, Boebert Signaled Support for Armed Protesters in Michigan Capitol”
Last month, Boebert said in an interview with Breitbart News that “the Second Amendment isn’t about hunting, except hunting tyrants, maybe.”
In September, Boebert appeared at an event to accept the endorsement of the Gun Owners of America, a far-right gun group whose founder peddled the conspiracy theory that the Aurora theatre shooting was a false flag attack orchestrated by the federal government.
She also appeared at a private fundraiser hosted by Sandy Hook conspiracist Tom Ready.
Boebert and QAnon
As national news outlets have reported, symbols associated with the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory were pervasive during Wednesday’s attack.
Boebert has been branded a QAnon Congresswoman after once saying she hopes the conspiracy is real. On the campaign trail, Boebert attempted to back away from QAnon, saying she doesn’t “follow” the conspiracy despite literally following QAnon YouTube channels that were eventually banned by the site. Boebert eventually deleted her YouTube account.
Boebert also continued to nod to QAnon-linked conspiracies, including the baseless claim that Tom Hanks is a pedophile.
Despite her attempts to distance herself from the conspiracy during the campaign, Boebert continued to parrot QAnon-esque talking points about a so-called “deep state” undermining President Trump and posed for a photo with a sign that linked her to QAnon.
Boebert and the voter fraud conspiracy
Most recently, Boebert embraced a number of debunked conspiracy theories and misinformation alleging that widespread voter fraud took place in swing states across the country.
President Trump and his allies latched on to the false allegations of election fraud, which laid the foundation for the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally that fomented the violent insurrection at the Capitol.
