Lauren Boebert denies ethics complaint alleging ‘lesbian’ relationships with staffers
Rep. Lauren Boebert denies complaint alleging she had sexual relationships with three staffers, including two women. (Getty Images)
Rep. Lauren Boebert has denied an ethics complaint alleging she had sexual relationships with three staffers, including two women, and arranged a $200,000 payment connected to the claims.
The complaint was filed with the House Committee on Ethics on 17 September.
A spokesperson for the Colorado congresswoman, 39, said: “Congresswoman Lauren Boebert rejects these allegations as utterly false and there is 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 complaint alleges Boebert had relationships with three House employees under her direct supervision, naming former District Director Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff, District Chief of Staff Raven Finegan and former Chief of Staff Jeffrey Small. It also alleges she violated a House rule prohibiting members from having sexual relationships with their own staff.
The filing was made by American Muckrakers’ David Wheeler, who cited anonymous sources. It also claims Boebert arranged a $200,000 payment to prevent Ratzlaff from filing her own ethics complaint.
Ratzlaff rejected the allegations about her, saying: “These allegations regarding me are entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous. There is absolutely no truth to any part of this claim.”
What the complaint alleges
The House Ethics Committee had not announced a review of the claims at the time of reporting.
Boebert’s spokesperson also attacked the complaint’s origins, saying: “They come from an activist who has long recycled sensational claims, including numerous baseless accusations previously fact-checked as false,” as the ethics process determines whether the allegations move forward.
Boebert and past controversies
Boebert is a US Republican politician associated with the MAGA wing of the party. Elected to Congress in 2020, she became nationally known for combative, pro-gun messaging. She has been a prominent culture-war voice in Congress, frequently appearing in conservative media and on social platforms, and has taken positions opposed to many LGBTQ+ rights measures.
She split from her husband, Jayson Boebert, in 2023.
In June 2026, she shut down a Fox News Digital interview after being asked about allegations of a relationship with Congressman Thomas Massie, 55, saying: “F*** you, first of all. If you’re gonna bring me into this, like, this sexist stuff is out of control. There’s your clickbait that you were looking for. I don’t wanna talk about anybody’s exes and their crazy s*** that they do,” before walking away.
