A sworn ethics complaint has been filed with the U.S. House Committee on Ethics against Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO), alleging sexual relationships with three congressional employees under her supervision and detailing financial arrangements intended to conceal one of the alleged relationships. The complaint, submitted on September 17, 2026, by David B. Wheeler of American Muckrakers, names current and former Boebert staffers Clarice Navarro, Raven Finegan, and Jeffrey Small.
"These allegations regarding me are entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous." Clarice Navarro, Former District Director for Rep. Lauren Boebert
The filing specifically outlines allegations concerning Clarice Navarro, Boebert’s former district director. It claims that a relationship between Boebert and Navarro was maintained between 2021 and January 2025, when Navarro's employment concluded. American Muckrakers states its complaint draws upon House payroll records, Federal Election Commission filings, court documents, and information from sources it claims possess direct knowledge of the events.
Among the financial allegations, the complaint points to approximately $30,650 in year-end bonuses Navarro reportedly received over four years, asserting these payments were linked to the alleged relationship rather than her official duties. It also highlights a $5,000 campaign payment made to Navarro in July 2022, reported as "Fundraising Consulting." The complaint alleges this consulting work was never performed and that the payment served to secure Navarro's silence regarding the purported relationship.
A more significant financial claim in the complaint involves an approximate $200,000 payment that it alleges was made around March 2025. This payment reportedly occurred after Navarro indicated intentions to file an ethics complaint against Boebert. The source of this substantial sum remains unknown, and the complaint explicitly requests that congressional investigators examine the transaction. Separate allegations within the complaint detail relationships between Boebert and Raven Finegan, her current district chief of staff, and Jeffrey Small, her former chief of staff. These claims, like others in the filing, remain unverified.
Clarice Navarro has strongly refuted the accusations. In a statement provided to the Colorado Times Recorder, Navarro asserted, "These allegations regarding me are entirely false, defamatory, and beyond ridiculous. There is absolutely no truth to any part of this claim." Representative Boebert's office did not respond to requests for comment from either American Muckrakers or the Colorado Times Recorder prior to the publication of their reports.
The complaint cites seven alleged violations, encompassing both House rules and federal statutes. Central to these is House Rule XXIII, which explicitly prohibits a member of Congress from engaging in a sexual relationship with a House employee working under that member’s supervision, unless the two individuals are married. The filing urges the Ethics Committee to establish an investigative subcommittee and, if evidence of potential criminal conduct emerges, to refer such findings to the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission.
As of September 19, 2026, the House Ethics Committee has not publicly announced the initiation of a formal investigation into Representative Boebert concerning this complaint. The committee generally handles such submissions confidentially and often does not disclose the status of particular complaints publicly. It is important to note that the allegations contained within the complaint are unproven. The filing of a complaint does not, in itself, establish that any House rules or federal laws have been violated.
Historical context also reveals that David B. Wheeler previously publicized allegations against Representative Boebert in 2022 that were later acknowledged to contain errors, though he maintained the broader validity of his claims. While this past record does not determine the veracity of the current complaint, it underscores the need for independent substantiation or official investigation to validate the new accusations. The process ahead for the Ethics Committee will involve a careful review of the submitted evidence and, potentially, further inquiry to ascertain the facts surrounding these serious allegations.
