Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) set off another round of online chatter Thursday, after comments about Capitol Hill sex scandals spread fast.
Viral remark lands as scrutiny follows
Earlier in the week, Boebert said she was “glad that both of these creeps are out of Washington, DC., and I’m sure there are many more that haven’t been named yet.” In the same breath, she lamented that both men got to keep their pensions.
Later, she said she would work to strip Swalwell of his pension as he faces ongoing criminal investigations related to allegations of rape and sexual assault.
Gonzales, she noted, is not facing any criminal investigations, but resigned after it was revealed he had an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide.
As she spoke with reporters, Boebert offered advice she clearly meant to land as both spiritual and practical.
“Yeah, go to church, find Jesus,” she said, adding, “Like I mean, why is everybody so horny here?” A clip of that exchange then took off online.
People watching at the time, meanwhile, likely didn’t have the context for why that phrase hit so hard—until they remembered what came after.
It’s the kind of moment that cuts through a day quickly. In the hallway outside the Capitol, the constant shuffle of shoes and the low murmur of staffers made it easy to miss what was said at first—then, once it was repeated, it sounded like a challenge to everyone, including Boebert herself.
Past incident brings it back to her
In her apology, Boebert said the “past few days have been difficult and humbling,” and that she was “truly sorry for the unwanted attention” her Sunday evening in Denver brought to the community.
She wrote that “none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm,” but added that “the reality is they did and I regret that.” Then she laid out more of the personal side of the apology, including the challenges of a public divorce.
She continued, writing: “There’s no perfect blueprint for going through a public and difficult divorce,” describing how it had made for a challenging time “for me and my entire family.” She said she tried to handle it “with strength and grace as best I can,” but that she “simply fell short of my values on Sunday.” And she concluded: “That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry.”
Nothing about the current controversy, at least from what she said publicly, is framed as a direct response to that past incident.
Still, it’s hard for the conversation not to loop back there.
The “go to church” line may have been meant to chastise others—yet after her earlier episode in Denver, people heard it differently, like the punchline was aimed upward, or maybe sideways, depending on who’s watching and what they’re willing to remember.
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