A news anchor in Lauren Boebert’s home state has gone viral for his epic takedown of the congresswoman’s conduct at a Beetlejuice show earlier this month.
Colorado-based 9News presenter Kyle Clark described the incident - in which the Republican congresswoman and her date were escorted out of a Beetlejuice show for allegedly vaping, singing and taking pictures while they sat in the audience - as a “performance”.
“It was a lot of things, but it wasn’t a surprise,” he said.
Ms Boebert initially denied she was vaping during the performance, but footage disproved this claim, appearing to show the congresswoman using an electronic cigarette during the performance. Ms Boebert said she “genuinely did not recall vaping” at the show.
The footage also showed Ms Boebert taking flash photos during the show and raising her arms as if to dance.
Colorado news anchor Kyle Clark blasted Lauren Boebert’s conduct— (9News)
As well as vaping and causing a disruption, the Colorado lawmaker was also accused of insulting a pregnant woman who was sitting behind her during the performance. The Denver Post reported the woman asked Ms Boebert to stop vaping, to which she replied “no”.
The woman, who described Ms Boebert’s behaviour as “outrageous”, also alleged the congresswoman called her a “sad and miserable person” after she asked to move seats during the intermission.
In his newscast, Mr Clark said: “I haven’t seen a single person say: ‘Why, I am shocked that Lauren Boebert was rude, disruptive and belligerent.’
“This is, after all, the congresswoman who suggested that a Muslim colleague was a suicide bomber,” referencing comments made by Ms Boebert in 2021 in which she falsely accused Rep Ilhan Omar of being a member of a “jihad squad.”
Mr Clark continued: “I haven’t seen anyone surprised that Boebert did not tell the truth about what happened—because, I mean, days before we [had] just fact-checked her latest claim about migrants.”
Earlier this month, Ms Boebert claimed the Biden administration was giving asylum seekers “$2,200 per month plus a free plane ticket and free medical care,” a claim that was later debunked.
A police incident report from the Beetlejuice show, that did not name the congresswoman, revealed that Ms Boebert was warned about her behaviour during an intermission after three complaints were made. She was eventually told to leave.
“They told me they would not leave. I told them that they need to leave the theater and if they do not, they will be trespassing. The patrons said they would not leave. I told them I would (be) going to get Denver Police. They said go get them,” an usher is quoted as saying in the report.
The report states that the two theatregoers were taken down to the vestibule, where they refused to leave, telling staff “stuff like ‘do you know who I am,’ ‘I am on the board’ (and) ‘I will be contacting the mayor’”.
Police arrived and stayed in the theatre until Ms Boebert and her companion left, according to the report.
Ms Boebert has since apologised for her conduct, insisting her actions were not “malicious” and were not “meant to cause harm”.
But Mr Clark slammed Ms Boebert’s behavior towards theater staff, saying: “I haven’t seen anyone say that it was out of character for the congresswoman to appear to berate theater staff members who were just trying to do their jobs.
“Really, the only surprise in all of this is that Boebert, once she got caught, apologized and said that she didn’t live up to her values.
“When Boebert didn’t know that the cameras were watching, she was exactly who she is when she does know people are watching.”
Referencing allegations that Ms Boebert confronted theater staff by asking “do you know who I am?,” Mr Clark ended simply by saying: “Yes, we do.”
Lauren Boebert previosuly denied she was vaping at the show— (NBC)
Lauren Boebert removed from Beetlejuice show— (9News)
In a statement on Saturday, the Colorado lawmaker wrote: “I’m truly sorry for the unwanted attention my Sunday evening in Denver has brought to the community. While none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm, the reality is they did and I regret that.
“There’s no perfect blueprint for going through a public and difficult divorce, which over the past few months has made for a challenging personal time for me and my entire family. I’ve tried to handle it with strength and grace as best I can, but I simply fell short of my values on Sunday. That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry.”
In April, Ms Boebert filed for divorce from her husband of 18 years Jayson Boebert, and in June she announced she became a grandmother at the age of 36 after her 17-year-old son had a baby with his girlfriend.
The statement continues: “Whether it was the excitement of seeing a much-anticipated production or the natural anxiety of being in a new environment, I genuinely did not recall vaping that evening when I discussed the night’s events with my campaign team while confirming my enthusiasm for the musical.
“Regardless of my belief, it’s clear now that was not accurate; it was not my or my campaign’s intention to mislead, but we do understand the nature of how this looks. We know we will have to work to earn your trust back and it may not happen overnight, but we will do it.”
Mr Clark previously accused media outlets of holding Ms Boebert “to a far lower standard” than other lawmakers.
“If we held her to the same standard as every other elected Republican and Democrat in Colorado, we would be here near-nightly chronicling the cruel, false and bigoted things that Boebert says for attention and fundraising,” Mr Clark said in comments on 9News in 2021.
“This is about us, as journalists, recognizing that we’ll hold a politician accountable if they say something vile once, but we won’t do it if they do it every day,” he said.
Ms Boebert has been contacted for comment.
