Police were called to a restaurant in Silt, Colo., on Saturday night after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and her ex-husband Jayson Boebert allegedly got into a physical altercation, Police Chief Mike Kite confirmed Sunday.
Kite told The Washington Post that police responded to a call made from Miner’s Claim restaurant, which is in Lauren Boebert’s home district, and said the incident is under investigation. He declined to comment further, saying police are reviewing surveillance tape and talking to possible witnesses.
The Daily Beast first reported on the fight. According to the news site, Jayson Boebert called the police after meeting with the congresswoman at the restaurant and claimed that he was a “victim of domestic violence.” Jayson Boebert told the Daily Beast that Lauren Boebert had “punched” him in the face several times.
In a statement to The Post, Lauren Boebert denied her ex-husband’s claims and said the incident is another reason she will be moving away from her district.
“This is a sad situation for all that keeps escalating and another reason why I’m moving,” she said. “I didn’t punch Jayson in the face and no one was arrested. I will be consulting with my lawyer about the false claims he made against me and evaluate all of my legal options.”
Jayson Boebert said in a short phone interview with the Denver Post that he called the Silt Police Department on Sunday morning to say he does not want to press charges.
Last month, Lauren Boebert announced that she would switch congressional districts ahead of a tough reelection race, leaving Colorado’s 3rd District for the 4th. While congressional candidates aren’t required to live in the districts they represent, Boebert, who was first elected to Congress in 2020, said she would leave Silt and move to the 4th next year and “proudly represent” it. Several other Republican candidates had already said they would run in the primary for the 4th District seat, which is open after Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) announced he would retire.
Boebert’s decision to relocate gives the GOP a stronger chance at holding on to the 3rd District in a fight against Democrat Adam Frisch, whom Boebert beat by just 546 votes in 2022. So far this campaign, Frisch has raised over three times as much as the GOP incumbent in his new nomination bid. Meanwhile, Boebert, a hard-right firebrand, will now be running in a much more conservative area of the state.
Boebert’s personal life has drawn public attention since she first ran for office. The gun-themed restaurant she and her ex-husband were running in Colorado closed down in July 2022. About a year later, she and Jayson Boebert divorced.
In October, she drew national attention when she and a date were ejected from the musical “Beetlejuice” in Denver after being accused of being disruptive.
Jennifer Hassan and Azi Paybarah contributed to this report.
