MAGA Congresswoman Hit with Explosive Claims

Rep. Lauren Boebert is forcefully denying explosive allegations that she had sexual relationships with three congressional staffers and that roughly $200,000 was paid to one former aide to keep quiet.

The Colorado Republican said the claims are completely false after activist David B. Wheeler of American Muckrakers published what he described as a sworn ethics complaint submitted to the House Committee on Ethics on Sept. 17.

“Well, I’m not a lesbian or bisexual, and I have never, ever been in any inappropriate relationship, nor have I ever been sexually involved with any staff,” Boebert told Sources Say News in an interview reported Saturday.

A spokesperson for Boebert similarly called the allegations “utterly false” and characterized the complaint as a politically motivated attempt to generate damaging headlines. The allegations have not been substantiated by the House Ethics Committee, and the committee has not publicly announced an investigation.

The complaint names three current or former Boebert aides: former district director Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff, former chief of staff Jeffrey Small and current district chief of staff Raven Finegan. It alleges Boebert had sexual relationships with the employees while they worked under her supervision.

The most detailed accusations involve Navarro, who worked as Boebert’s district director from 2021 until early 2025.

Wheeler alleges Boebert and Navarro maintained a sexual relationship that included encounters in a congressional office, a vehicle for which mileage expenses were reimbursed and hotel rooms paid for by Boebert’s campaign.

Those assertions remain allegations.

Navarro has issued an unequivocal denial.

“These allegations regarding me are entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous,” Navarro told the Colorado Times Recorder. “There is absolutely no truth to any part of this claim.”

The complaint further alleges that after Navarro left Boebert’s office, she threatened to bring her own ethics complaint and subsequently received approximately $200,000 to remain silent.

But a major limitation is buried beneath the sensational allegation: publicly available reporting has not established where that alleged $200,000 came from, and Wheeler has not publicly produced evidence showing that Boebert personally made such a payment. Sources Say News reported that Wheeler does not claim to know the source of the money.

Wheeler says his broader allegations are supported by records including House payroll data, Federal Election Commission filings, court documents and information from sources he says have direct knowledge of the alleged conduct. His organization has published the complaint and supporting exhibits.

That does not mean the allegations have been proven.

House rules do, however, make the underlying accusation potentially serious if evidence were ever established.

Rule 18 of the House Code of Official Conduct states that a member of Congress may not engage in a sexual relationship with a House employee working under that member’s supervision. The exception is for people who are married to one another.

That means consent alone would not resolve an ethics problem if a prohibited relationship between a member and supervised employee were proven.

There is also an unusual procedural wrinkle surrounding the timing of Wheeler’s filing.

Boebert is running for reelection in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in the Nov. 3, 2026 general election, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The House Ethics Manual says the committee “shall not accept” and must return a formal complaint submitted during the 60 days before an election in which the subject is a candidate. Wheeler says his complaint was filed Sept. 17 — just 47 days before Election Day.

That does not necessarily prevent ethics officials from looking at the underlying information.

The same committee guidance says the Ethics Committee can consider information already in its possession even without a formally accepted complaint, and its current website allows members of the public to submit outside information concerning potential misconduct.

The committee also generally keeps submissions confidential, meaning the absence of a public announcement does not by itself reveal whether officials are reviewing the accusations.

Wheeler’s history with Boebert is also relevant when evaluating the new claims.

In 2022, American Muckrakers circulated allegations that Boebert had previously worked as a paid escort. The group’s material initially included a photograph of another woman, and Wheeler later acknowledged errors in the research, describing aspects of it as “sloppy,” although he continued to defend his underlying allegations. Boebert denied those claims.

That past controversy does not determine whether Wheeler’s latest allegations are true or false, but it makes independent verification particularly important.

For now, the most consequential facts are considerably narrower than some of the headlines surrounding the story: an outside activist has publicly released serious allegations against a sitting member of Congress; Boebert and at least one of the staffers named have categorically denied them; House rules would prohibit the alleged conduct if it were proven; and no House Ethics finding establishing the allegations has been made public.

Boebert currently represents Colorado’s 4th Congressional District and is seeking another term in the House this November.