Boebert denies offering late-night ‘reconnaissance tour’ of the Capitol in December
Pro-Trump congresswoman says website that reported the claims is ‘a lying rag’
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Your support makes all the difference.Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert has denied that she provided “reconnaissance” of the US Capitol amid reports she offered an after-hours tour on 12 December, less than a month before the pro-Trump riot.
The statement came after Salon.com reported that guests of the right-wing Colorado congresswoman received an exclusive after-hours tour before Ms Boebert was even sworn in.
The report said that multiple guests of hers visited after normal visiting hours, which happen from 9am to 3pm on weekdays when 12 December was a Saturday night. A photo show guests, including Ms Boebert’s mother and her teenage son, at the top of the Capitol Dome. Capitol rules say a member of Congress and an official guide must accompany guests to the top of the dome and there is no indication a member or a guide was with them.
But Ms Boebert’s press secretary denied that she offered any reconnaissance tours, which had been suggested by some. Democratic Rep Steve Cohen of Tennessee accused her of giving tours through the tunnels of the Cannon House Office Building tunnel ahead of the 6 January insurrection at the Capitol.
Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington asked for the House Ethics Committee to investigate Ms Boebert, as well as Representatives Paul Gosar of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama. But the committee chose not to investigate her.
Ms Boebert said in a statement that the complaints led to death threats.
“Now, Salon is pushing this false story in what amounts to nothing more than clickbait,” she said.
“Here are the facts. The House Ethics Committee cleared me of these unfounded accusations, no reconnaissance tour occurred, and Salon continues to be a lying rag.”
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