This screenshot from surveillance video shows U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert being escorted out of Denver’s Buell Theatre in September allegedly for being too loud, vaping and taking pictures with her cell phone. The man with the drink was with her, while the other man pictured was one of several theater employees who escorted the two out. Boebert’s actions have led to several GOP endorsements for GJ attorney Jeff Hurd. Boebert on Wednesday announced she will seek election in the 4th Congressional District, not the 3rd CD.
Rivals of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert from both sides of the political aisle didn’t have much nice to say about the Republican incumbent over her being escorted out of a Denver theater for being disruptive last weekend.
On Sunday, Boebert and a man she was with were escorted out of Denver’s Buell Theatre during a showing of the musical “Beetlejuice,” allegedly for being loud, singing, vaping and taking pictures of the play with her cell phone, against theater rules.
Surveillance video of the congresswoman being removed from the theater obtained by several news outlets that went viral Wednesday — internationally — drew comments from Boebert’s primary and general election candidates along with others across the political spectrum.
All the commenters said criticism of Boebert over this incident isn’t about any partisan differences they may have with her, but about character, saying it particularly reflects poorly on someone for attempting to use her political influence to get her way by reportedly saying to Buell security workers, “Do you know who I am?”
Republicans Curtis McCrackin of Cedaredge and Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd, who both are trying to win the GOP nomination for the seat, said character more than politics is a chief concern that voters consider as paramount when deciding who should represent them.
“The people of the 3rd Congressional District in Colorado deserve to be represented by an individual who is respectful and exhibits the utmost integrity,” McCrackin said.
“I grew up in western Colorado, and I know this kind of stuff doesn’t reflect our values,” Hurd added. “Representative Boebert is trying to make light of the situation, but her lack of respect and courtesy means she’s once again in the news for something other than delivering results for working families and communities in her district. I promise to never, ever say, ‘Do you know who I am.’ ”
Democrats Adam Frisch, who narrowly lost to Boebert last year, and Anna Stout, Grand Junction’s mayor who also is running for the right to challenge Boebert next year, said the district shouldn’t have a representative who gets attention like this.
“Representative Boebert continues to make a mockery of her job, and folks in western and southern Colorado are sick and tired of being represented by someone who is more interested in being a public nuisance than in doing public service,” Stout said.
“How you act in public, whether you’re doing it in Denver, in the district or in D.C., matters to a lot of people,” Frisch added. “Usually, there’s some level of contriteness when people make a mistake. Whether she thought she made a mistake or not, I do not know.”
A surveillance video of the incident shows Boebert having words with security personnel as they were escorting her out, pointing her finger at them and later smiling and being twirled in a dance-like fashion by her male companion outside the theater.
Republican Jenna Ellis, a former Colorado prosecutor and one-time attorney for President Donald Trump — who is one of 19 facing racketeering charges in Georgia over the 2020 election — wrote that Boebert’s actions showed no remorse, adding that if a Democrat acted in such a way everyone in the Republican Party would be condemning her.
“Lauren Boebert getting kicked out of the Buell Theatre in Denver for being loud, disruptive, vaping and video recording after being asked multiple times to stop is embarrassing and disrespectful behavior from a sitting congresswoman,” Ellis wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Good grief Republicans, do better. Congress shouldn’t be a frat house any more than it should be a retirement community.”
After the story reached far and wide, Boebert admitted that she was at the theater. Posting on X, she wrote: “It’s true. I did thoroughly enjoy the AMAZING Beetlejuice at the Buell Theatre and I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loud!”
Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via Associated Press
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., left, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., right, scream “Build the Wall” as President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Washington.
But her detractors said Boebert did far more than that, saying it was similar to when Boebert faced similar bipartisan criticism after she and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene heckled President Joe Biden during his State of the Union speech before Congress last year.
“Lauren Boebert’s behavior is consistently beneath the office she holds, and continues to be an embarrassment to Colorado,” said Sara Loflin, executive director of the left-leaning ProgressNow. “It is outrageous that Boebert once again tried to bully working people with her supposed political influence.”
Boebert’s campaign manager, Drew Sexton, said she the incident occurred “in her personal time” adding that she was not vaping during the performance. He said there were heavy fog machines and electronic cigarettes used during the play.
Still, he couldn’t refrain from making it political.
“She appreciates the Buell Theatre’s strict enforcement of their no-photo policy, and only wishes the Biden administration could uphold our border laws as thoroughly and vigorously,” Sexton said.
