US congresswoman apologizes after ‘groping’ video
Firebrand Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert has issued an apology following the “difficult and humbling” experience of being ejected from a theater performance in Denver for engaging in inappropriate behavior with a male companion in Denver.
“The past few days have been difficult and humbling,” Boebert said in a statement issued on Friday. “I’m truly sorry for the unwanted attention my Sunday evening in Denver has brought to the community.”
Boebert, 36, explained in the statement that she has been going through a “difficult divorce” that has led to a “challenging personal time for me and my entire family,” but that she “simply fell short of my values on Sunday.”
CCTV footage of the incident, which has gone viral online, appears to show Boebert’s male partner repeatedly and openly fondling her breasts, while both also seem to have their hands placed on or near each other’s crotch. The performance was widely attended by children, British newspaper The Guardian noted on Saturday.
Reports also indicate that Boebert was ‘vaping’ throughout the performance – an action prohibited in the theater – and refused to stop when confronted by staff. She also declined a request to discontinue vaping when asked by a pregnant woman sitting nearby, the New York Post said.
The congresswoman and her male guest were removed from the performance during the second act. Footage of her ejection also appears to show her displaying a middle finger to theater staff, while she also allegedly asked security, “Do you know who I am?”
On Tuesday, after reports of her theater ejection became public, Boebert argued that she had been removed from the venue because she had been too loud in her praise of the show, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that she had pleaded “guilty to laughing and singing too loud!” However, the footage and subsequent statement appear to contradict her initial version of events.
Boebert, who was re-elected to the US Congress in 2022 following an extremely tight race against Democratic businessman Adam Frisch, is generally considered to be one of the more controversial lawmakers in Washington. She has drawn scorn from left-leaning political colleagues for various comments and policy positions, including against the LGBTQ community.
According to a report by LGBTQ publication Advocate, Boebert’s male guest at the theater was Quinn Gallagher, a Democratic owner of a bar that often hosts LGBTQ events and drag shows.
