Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) claimed in a video on Saturday that she skipped last week’s vote on the debt ceiling bill in protest of its contents. But a CNN journalist shared footage in response that appears to call the claim into question.
“Call it a protest — there’s absolutely no way to ever justify adding another $4-6 trillion in debt,” Boebert tweeted regarding her absence. “This is more DC self-created garbage that I will always fight against.
Referring to the legislation as “a crap sandwich,” Boebert said her alleged refusal to vote was a clear display of a “no-show protest.”
“I certainly let every one of my colleagues and the country know I was against this garbage of a bill and against bypassing the voice of each representative,” she added. “Deals cut in the dark are why we’re headed towards $36 trillion in debt and I refuse to be a part of it.”
Yet on Sunday, Morgan Rimmer, an associate producer with CNN, tweeted out footage appearing to show Boebert rushing up the Capitol steps last week in an attempt to attend that very vote. Rimmer can be heard telling Boebert in the video that she had missed the vote as well.
“Here is a clip from that night outside the Capitol, showing Rep. Boebert running up the stairs as though she was trying to make the vote, and me telling her that it had closed already,” Rimmer tweeted.
Shortly after, a “Readers added context” disclaimer was attached to Boebert’s tweet, noting that Rimmer’s footage could contradict the politician’s remarks.
The Daily Dot emailed Boebert to question whether she had a response to the disclaimer but did not receive a reply.
While questions still remain regarding the situation, Twitter users were quick to bombard Boebert’s timeline with criticism.
“Remember when you pretended that you missed the vote on purpose to protest?” one user asked the congresswoman. “Turns out you were just late. Why are the people of Colorado still paying your salary?”
The footage of Boebert even led Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) to weigh in.
“Things happen. Virtually no Member of Congress has made all the votes in their career,” he wrote. “What is unusual is for a Member to lie about why a vote was missed. Lauren Boebert deliberately misled her constituents about why she missed the debt ceiling vote.”
Others pointed to a tweet made by Boebert the day before the vote and noted that she had promised to not only attend but oppose the legislation, further suggesting that her claims regarding a no-show protest could be false.
“The debt limit deal is a bad deal for America,” Boebert said. “As the bill is currently presented, my vote will be NO on tomorrow’s anti-deal. Unit then, I hope the House will either amend it or kill it entirely.”
Despite Boebert’s alleged protest, the bill ultimately passed both the House and the Senate and is now on its way to be signed by President Joe Biden.
