Ethics Complaint Accuses Boebert of Affairs With Three Staffers and a $200,000 Hush Payment

An ethics complaint signed under oath has been filed against Rep. Lauren Boebert over sexual relations between her and three members of her congressional staff.

According to the complaint filed on behalf of David B. Wheeler from American Muckrakers to the House Ethics Committee on September 17, the sexual affairs involved former District Director Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff, District Chief of Staff Raven Finegan, and former Chief of Staff Jeffrey Small.

The complaint cited a 2018 rule prohibiting such relations between the members and their staff. According to Raw Story, the rule was introduced in February 2018 after a series of scandalous harassment cases in Congress. The committee has used the rule to launch its 2019 ethics probe into former Rep. Katie Hill.

The complaint describes meetings in Ratzlaff’s office, in the campaign-paid vehicle, and in hotel rooms at the campaign’s expense. It also mentions over $449,000 in salary and $200,000 paid to her after her departure. Specifically, the $200,000 payment was made in March 2025, after Ratzlaff had quit and told Boebert she was going to make her own ethics complaint.

Colorado Times Recorder reports that the complaint also claims that Boebert arranged the $200,000 payment to stop Ratzlaff from making that complaint. Boebert’s office hasn’t responded to the newspaper’s request for a statement.

Ratzlaff dismissed the allegations as “entirely false and defamatory.” In addition, the House Ethics Committee hasn’t announced any review yet.

Raw Story points out that the allegations rely on unnamed sources’ notes that weren’t included in the document. Moreover, the outlet failed to verify payroll and campaign finance figures mentioned in the complaint.

The filing received a sarcastic reply from former Rep. Matt Gaetz, an ally of Boebert. Gaetz quoted the X post that claimed sexual affairs between Boebert and three staffers as well as a threesome between the representatives and Ratzlaff.

“I am requesting that anyone with video of me in this alleged “threesome” release said evidence IMMEDIATELY! Unedited, please,” Gaetz wrote in a tweet.

In turn, Gaetz quoted that X post to publicly challenge that allegation. According to NPR, the former Republican from Florida has already faced an ethics probe over those allegations. The committee issued a report in December 2024 after investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against the congressman, who denies the charges. That came after Boebert had herself complained about the misconduct of her colleagues; in April, for example, she asked why the fellow legislators are “horny” after the resignation of two congressmen amid similar accusations.

“Yeah, go to church. Find Jesus. Like, why is everybody so horny here?” Boebert quipped outside the U.S. Capitol as she walked away from reporters.

The statement was made following the resignation of former congressmen Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, and Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas. According to People, Swalwell and Gonzales made their resignations public on April 13th, while Boebert made her statement to the press outside the Capitol on April 16th.

Eric Swalwell resigned due to allegations of misconduct and sexual impropriety by several women. Gonzales quit his job amid the investigation of his misconduct with a staffer. According to Mediaite, Gonzales resigned after it was revealed that he had an affair with a staffer who eventually committed suicide.

Boebert’s comments became notable because of the misconduct she displayed on surveillance footage from September 2023. The footage shows Boebert behaving inappropriately alongside her then-boyfriend, Quinn Gallagher, during a Denver performance.

Quinn and Boebert were asked to leave a Beetlejuice show after causing a scene. The footage shows Boebert dancing with her hands raised, vaping, and using her flash while taking pictures. Security guards asked the two people to leave the tour musical at the Buell Theatre on September 10, 2023, according to People.

Boebert apologized, accepted full responsibility, and ended the relationship with Gallagher.

“It’s always hard whenever there’s gravity put on the voters,” Boebert said. “I’m here to provide levity and lift burdens off of people.”