Right-wing Rep. Lauren Boebert flipped out at the moderator of the Republican primary debate after he asked her about her frisky “Beetlejuice” groping session last September — blaming him for putting her “very private moment” on display for the world to see.
9News Denver’s Kyle Clark broached the touchy subject with Boebert (R-Col.) on Friday, and her response was to fire back at him.
“I’m apologizing for you, Kyle Clark getting footage and releasing that — people seeing this in a very private moment,” Boebert said.
“You were saying how disgusting it is to record someone without their knowledge and you did that very same thing in releasing [the footage],” she added, referencing a recent interview Clark did.
Last September, Boebert and Quinn Gallagher, her then-beau, were booted from a “Beetlejuice” showing in Denver, Colorado after getting very handsy with each other, blowing up a plume of vape smoke into the air and otherwise making a scene.
Theater officials expressed concerns about the duo snapping photos in violation of theater policy.
Initially, Boebert’s team denied the theater’s claim that she vaped, but then Clark reported that his station acquired the surveillance footage proving she did.
Boebert was then forced to apologize. She also later confirmed that her fling with Gallagher was over.
“I certainly have owned up to my night out in Denver, and I’ve gone on that public apology tour, and I’m grateful for the mercy and grace that have been shown, but I’m not going to continue to live life in shame and continue to be beat up by this,” Boebert contended during the debate.
Clark pressed her over whether she apologized to “voters for what you did that night and the disrespect you showed to service workers.”
“I don’t believe there was disrespect. I believe things were taken out of context,” Boebert countered. “It’s been reported that I flipped someone off and I did not. So I think it’s been mischaracterized.”
Images from the theater’s security footage show Boebert pointing a finger at the ushers as she left the theater. It’s difficult to tell whether it was her middle finger.
Even before the infamous “Beetlejuice” outing, Boebert had been in turbulent waters politically. She barely won reelection in 2022 for the ruby red 3rd District of Colorado with a meager 546 votes over Democrat Adam Frisch.
After the “Beetlejuice” controversy, Boebert announced that she would hop over to the 4th District. That got complicated when former Rep. Ken Buck (R-Col.) stepped down early last year.
Boebert declined to compete in the June 25 special election for Buck’s seat.
She is facing a fairly crowded race for the 4th District with about half a dozen contenders. The primary is slated for June 25.
“Well, it’s interesting to hear Democrat talking points from my Republican opponents,” Boebert shot back during the debate as she fended off attacks against her record.
“I do not believe that will make this seat vulnerable. This is a Republican district and they want a Republican who has a 100% conservative voting record, as I do.”
At another point in the debate, Clark grilled her for boasting about funding she brought home to her district for various projects — despite voting against legislation allocating that money.
“Yes and I would’ve worked … for a process to get that over the line,” she said when asked whether she still would’ve voted “no” on them. “I have had over 80 initiatives signed into law.”
Boebert has faced a string of controversies in her personal life since ascending to Congress in 2021. The 37-year-old grandma’s son Tyler was charged back in February for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The Colorado rep enjoys the backing of former President Donald Trump, who hailed her as a “trusted America First Fighter” in a March endorsement.
Her primary contest comes as Republicans have a slim 217 to 213 majority in the lower chamber and are scrambling to retain control during the 2024 election cycle.
