Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is disputing an ethics complaint that alleges she had sexual relationships with staff members who worked under her supervision, a claim that if substantiated could run afoul of House rules.
The complaint was filed with the House Committee on Ethics on Sept. 17 by David B. Wheeler, who runs American Muckrakers, a group that has pursued Boebert for years. Wheeler signed the filing under penalty of perjury, though a signed complaint is not a finding of fact, and the Ethics Committee has not publicly said it opened an investigation.
“Well, I’m not a lesbian or bisexual, and I have never, ever been in any inappropriate relationship, nor have I ever been sexually involved with any staff,” Boebert told Sources Say News after the report surfaced. Referring to an additional allegation involving former Rep. Matt Gaetz and his wife, Ginger, she added, “Creative, I’ll give him that!”
Gaetz responded on X: “I am requesting that anyone with video of me in this alleged ‘threesome’ release said evidence IMMEDIATELY! Unedited, please.” No publicly produced evidence has established that allegation.
What the complaint alleges
The filing claims Boebert had sexual relationships with three people who worked under her: former district director Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff, current district chief of staff Raven Finegan, and former chief of staff Jeffrey Small.
The most detailed claims involve Navarro, a former Colorado state lawmaker who served as Boebert’s district director from 2021 until early 2025. Wheeler alleges the two had a years-long relationship, pointing to encounters at Boebert’s district office, a reimbursed vehicle, and campaign-paid hotel rooms. He also cites roughly $30,650 in year-end bonuses Navarro received from House funds and a $5,000 campaign payment listed as “fundraising consulting.”
The complaint further alleges that Navarro received approximately $200,000 in March 2025, after leaving Boebert’s office, when she threatened to file her own ethics complaint. Wheeler has acknowledged he does not know the source of that alleged payment, and portions of the publicly released complaint describing how it was confirmed are redacted.
Denials from multiple sides
Navarro rejected the allegations in a statement to the Colorado Times Recorder: “These allegations regarding me are entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous. There is absolutely no truth to any part of this claim.”
Boebert’s ex-husband, Jayson Boebert, also disputed the claims involving Navarro in messages released by American Muckrakers, calling them “a fairy tale made up propaganda” and questioning the group’s sourcing.
Public payroll and campaign-finance records can confirm that staffers worked for Boebert and how much they were paid, but such records do not by themselves establish that sexual relationships occurred. The underlying claims rely heavily on sources cited by Wheeler, and supporting material behind some of the allegations has not been made public.
A history between Boebert and the complainant
Wheeler and American Muckrakers have a lengthy history with Boebert. In 2022, the group published allegations that she had previously worked as a paid escort, though its website initially used a photo of a different woman, one of several errors Wheeler later acknowledged, calling the presentation “sloppy.” He continued to defend the underlying claim. Boebert threatened legal action at the time, and Wheeler later sued her over statements she made about him; that suit ended in an undisclosed settlement.
What’s at stake
House Rule XXIII bars a member from engaging in a sexual relationship with a House employee who works under that member’s supervision, with an exception for married couples. If the allegations against Boebert were substantiated, they would implicate that rule directly.
The complaint asks the Ethics Committee to investigate and seeks referral of some allegations to federal authorities. For now, it remains an unproven filing containing serious allegations that Boebert and Navarro both deny, with the most sensational claim, involving Gaetz, unsupported by any publicly released evidence.
