Controversial freshman Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was seen giving a tour of the U.S. Capitol to a “large group” in the days before it was attacked by hundreds of Donald Trump’s supporters, a fellow representative claims.
Boebert has attracted controversy since before her election victory in November, as she had expressed support for ideas behind the QAnon conspiracy theory that claimed Trump was leading a secret campaign against a cabal of satanic Democrats. As Axios reported, Boebert said that she did not follow QAnon specifically, but was “glad the IG and the AG are investigating deep state activities that undermine the President” — one of the central claims of the theory.
Boebert also echoed the allegations that Trump’s election victory was stolen through massive voter fraud. There are now claims that she may have been involved in giving tours of the Capitol ahead of the attack on the building earlier in the month. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, said he witnessed Boebert leading a large group through the building in the days before the siege.
As The Daily Beast noted, some Democrats have raised concerns that some of their Republican colleagues may have led “reconnaissance” tours to people who had been planning the attack. Cohen said he did not know if any of the people that Boebert allegedly led on the tour later took part in the siege.
There is now reportedly an investigation as to whether anyone helped those planning the attack to gain insider knowledge of the building. Some Democrats have suggested that members of the mob possessed an intimate knowledge of the layout, finding their way to unmarked offices in locations that would not be publicly known otherwise.
Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio, told NPR that there is an investigation as to whether anyone — including members of Congress — took the pro-Trump rioters on a tour before the violence unfolded.
“All of that is being reviewed, both people on the campus who were here and behavior before and after, a lot of videos floating around out there,” he said. “That’s all going to be considered, including anybody that may have been on the inside, including members of Congress.”
Boebert has already seen pushback from her remarks in calling the election results into question. Her communications director quit this week, less than two weeks into the congresswoman’s term in office. The staffer said he decided to part ways with her after the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol.
