A sworn ethics complaint accuses Rep. Lauren Boebert of sexual relationships with three members of her congressional staff and a six-figure payment to keep one of them quiet, allegations her former staffer calls "entirely false."
David B. Wheeler, filing on behalf of the organization American Muckrakers, submitted the complaint to the House Ethics Committee on September 17. The filing names three Boebert staffers, former District Director Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff, District Chief of Staff Raven Finegan, and former Chief of Staff Jeffrey Small, as individuals with whom the Colorado Republican allegedly carried on sexual relationships in violation of a 2018 House rule that bars members from sleeping with their own employees.
The complaint describes alleged encounters in Ratzlaff's office, inside a campaign-paid vehicle, and in hotel rooms billed to the campaign. It also references more than $449,000 in salary paid to Ratzlaff during her tenure. Raw Story, which reviewed the filing, noted that the allegations rely on unnamed sources whose notes were not included in the complaint document itself, and that the outlet could not independently verify the payroll and campaign finance figures cited in the complaint.
Ratzlaff rejected the claims outright, calling them "entirely false and defamatory." Boebert's office, for its part, did not respond to a request for comment from the Colorado Times Recorder.
The most explosive allegation in the complaint centers on money. The Colorado Times Recorder reported that the filing claims Boebert arranged a $200,000 payment to Ratzlaff in March 2025, after Ratzlaff quit and told Boebert she intended to file her own ethics complaint. The payment, the complaint alleges, was meant to stop that filing from ever reaching the committee.
Raw Story cautioned it was unable to verify this figure. Whether Ratzlaff ultimately filed her own complaint, or accepted the payment and stayed silent, remains unclear from the available record.
The House Ethics Committee has not announced any review of the complaint.
The rule at the heart of the complaint dates to February 2018, when Congress adopted a prohibition on sexual relationships between members and their staff. The measure came in the wake of a string of harassment cases that embarrassed both parties. The Ethics Committee first put the rule to use in 2019, launching a probe into then-Rep. Katie Hill. More recently, the committee issued a report in December 2024 after investigating sexual misconduct allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and Boebert ally. Gaetz denies those charges.
Gaetz responded to the latest round of allegations with characteristic bluntness. An X post he quoted claimed sexual affairs between Boebert and three staffers, along with a threesome involving Boebert, Gaetz, and Ratzlaff. Gaetz posted a reply:
"I am requesting that anyone with video of me in this alleged 'threesome' release said evidence IMMEDIATELY! Unedited, please."
The complaint lands against a backdrop that has already tested Boebert's public standing. On September 10, 2023, she and then-boyfriend Quinn Gallagher were asked to leave a performance of Beetlejuice at the Buell Theatre in Denver after causing a disturbance. Surveillance footage showed Boebert dancing, vaping, and using flash photography during the show.
More recently, the resignations of former Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and former Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, were made public on April 13. Swalwell faced allegations of misconduct and sexual impropriety by several women. Gonzales resigned amid an investigation into misconduct with a staffer who, per Mediaite, eventually committed suicide.
Days later, on April 16, Boebert addressed the swirl of congressional misconduct stories in her own way. Speaking to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol, she offered this:
"Yeah, go to church. Find Jesus. Like, why is everybody so horny here?"
For all the headline gravity, the complaint carries real evidentiary gaps. The underlying allegations rest on unnamed sources whose notes were not attached to the filing. Raw Story could not confirm the dollar figures. Boebert has not personally addressed the specific claims. The employment status of Finegan and Small, whether they remain on her staff, is not clear from the record.
American Muckrakers, the group behind the filing, secured a complainant willing to sign under oath. That is a meaningful step. But a sworn complaint is an accusation, not a finding. The Ethics Committee has tools to investigate, subpoena records, and reach conclusions. So far, it has said nothing.
If the allegations hold up, the 2018 rule gives the committee clear jurisdiction. If they don't, the complaint will be remembered as a political weapon dressed in legal clothing. Either way, the committee owes the public, and Boebert, a straight answer, not silence.
