Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) revealed he witnessed Congresswoman Lauren Boebert leading a group through the Capitol building in the days before the riot.
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“We saw Congressman Boebert taking a group of people for a tour sometime after the 3rd and before the 6th,” Cohen remarked on CNN. His memory was triggered by Rep. John Yarmuth, who witnessed the alleged tours with Cohen.
“She had a large group with her …It was pretty clear that her team is the team…she is not on the home team, she was with the visitors,” he claimed.
He continued to confirm he could not indefinitely pinpoint any of her guests as those who participated in the riot.
According to journalist Christal Hayes, Boebert denied the alleged reconnaissance tours. Although Boebert has not made a public statement, the reporter shared on Twitter the congresswoman sent a text message that read, “I did not give any tours between Jan 3rd and 6th.”
Boebert refuted these claims as false allegations and released a statement denying having any Capitol visitors.
“Representative Cohen’s claim that he saw me give a reconnaissance tour with people not on the team is 100% false. I have never given a tour of the U.S. Capitol to anyone besides family members in town for my swearing in. As Members of Congress, we have a duty to elevate the discourse and unify during times of crisis. Unfortunately, Rep. Cohen instead chose to go on CNN today to repeat irresponsible lies in order to elevate his own political relevance and to further fuel the division of our country,” she remarked.
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theGrio reported officials have pushed for an official investigation into the possibility rioters had inside help.
According to the report, House Oversight Committee Chairman Carolyn Maloney, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler issued a letter to the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
“The Committees will conduct robust oversight to understand what warning signs may have been missed, determine whether there were systemic failures, and consider how to best address countering domestic violent extremism, including remedying any gaps in legislation or policy,” they wrote.
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According to Axios, Boebert’s spokesman resigned from the position following the attempted insurrection. Ben Goldey confirmed his departure to the news to the outlet.
Both Goldey and Boebrt have only held their position for a few short weeks. The congresswoman was elected to represent Colorado’s 3rd congressional district in November 2020 for her first term with 51% of the votes over her Democratic competitor Diane Mitsch Bush.
“Following the events of January 6th, I’ve decided to part ways with the office. I wish her and the people of Colorado’s Third District the best,” Goldey said.
Boebert’s chief of staff, Jeff Small, shared a statement with The Colorado Sun regarding Goldey’s resignation and confirmed his position is already filled.
“The office does not comment on internal personnel matters with individual employees,” said Small to the Sun. “Rep. Boebert has hired a powerhouse team, filled all staff positions in her office, and hit the ground running. Rep. Boebert looks forwarding to focusing on and serving the interests of the people of the Third Congressional District.”
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