COLORADO — The complaint alleges that Lauren Boebert had a four-year romantic and sexual relationship with senior staffer Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff. Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff worked under Boebert from 2021 to 2025. "These allegations regarding me are entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous," Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff said. "There is absolutely no truth to any part of this claim," Clarice Ratzlaff said.

The complaint includes financial records showing payments of more than $461,000 to Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff. The complaint alleges that Boebert had a sexual relationship with Raven Finegan, who served as her district chief of staff. Financial records included in the complaint show payments of more than $450,000 to Raven Finegan through June 2026.

The ethics complaint included evidence from House payroll records, Federal Election Commission filings, and court records. David Wheeler is an independent journalist, activist, and founder of the American Muckrakers political action committee.

Jace Ratzlaff told David Wheeler: "I assumed this would eventually surface. I’ll have no further comment on this topic." Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff resigned as a state representative in 2017. The complaint alleges that Boebert fired Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff in September 2024 but kept her on payroll until January 2025.

Boebert represents Colorado’s fourth congressional district. The events described in the complaint and background material span 9 years, from 2017 to 2026.

Why It Matters

The complaint brings forward allegations that touch on specific House rules regarding supervisor-subordinate relationships and financial conduct. If the House Ethics Committee accepts the filing, it could lead to a formal investigation into the representative's office operations and payroll practices over several years.

The dispute shows conflicting accounts between the filer, the subject, and former staff members. The outcome may depend on procedural questions, such as Boebert's claim regarding the timing of filings relative to elections, and the verification of financial records cited in the complaint.

Timeline

Boebert filed for divorce from her husband Jayson Boebert in May 2023 citing irreconcilable differences. In September 2023, Boebert apologized after video footage showed her groping a male companion at a Denver theater.

Boebert was escorted from a Denver theater by security in September 2023. Boebert conceded she was vaping in a Denver theater in September 2023 after additional video footage emerged.

Boebert told a Fox News Digital reporter: "Fuck you, first of all. If you’re gonna bring me into this, like, this sexist stuff is out of control. There’s your clickbait that you were looking for. I don’t wanna talk about anybody’s exes and their crazy shit that they do." This statement contained profanity.

Boebert ended an interview with a Fox News Digital reporter in June after the reporter asked about allegations involving Thomas Massie.

What's New

Boebert stated in a video message: "It’s a scam and you fell for it. No member of Congress certified in writing that his salacious BS attack was made in good faith and warrants review as required by Ethics." She also stated in a video message: "You all ran a smear and called it news. Some sloppy, desperate, obsessive hack stamps under oath on a fake filing so you’ll write penalty of perjury in the headline." Boebert stated that House Ethics Committee rules prohibit the acceptance of new complaints within 60 days of an election.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the details regarding David Wheeler and the nature of the complaint. Coloradotimesrecorder.com states that the complaint, filed by David Wheeler with the House Committee on Ethics on September 17, 2026, includes allegations that Boebert paid out $200,000 in hush money to one staffer. The House ethics complaint filed by David Wheeler states simply that David Wheeler filed a House ethics complaint against Boebert on 17 September.

Regarding the payment, It was reported that the complaint includes allegations that Boebert paid out $200,000 in hush money to one staffer. The House ethics complaint filed by David Wheeler specifies that the complaint alleges that Boebert paid Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff $200,000 after Ratzlaff ended the relationship and threatened to file an ethics complaint.

The House ethics complaint filed by David Wheeler states that the ethics complaint alleges that Boebert committed at least seven violations of House ethics rules.

Regarding the filing details, Coloradotimesrecorder.com states that the complaint filed by David Wheeler on September 17, 2026, claims that Boebert arranged a $200,000 payment to Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff in March 2025, after Ratzlaff quit and threatened to file her own ethics complaint. The House ethics complaint filed by David Wheeler states that David Wheeler filed a House ethics complaint against Boebert on 17 September.