Boebert promotes QAnon-linked conspiracy theory, defends extremists

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert put a Q-flavored cherry atop an already controversial town hall last Monday night, when she claimed to have insider knowledge of a QAnon-linked conspiracy theory promoted by The Epoch Times that secret documents declassified in the final days of the Trump administration will expose wrongdoing by Trump’s enemies and lead to resignations and arrests, allowing Republicans to gain a majority in the U.S. House and Senate prior to the 2022 election.

Boebert, a Republican, claims her sources for this are close to Trump.

“And this is my opinion with that information that I have, I believe we will see resignations begin to take place. And I think we can take back the majority in the House and the Senate before 2022 when all of this is ended,” Boebert said at the Montrose event.

Her startling claim, first reported by Dennis Anderson of the Delta County Independent, came in response to the last question of the evening. An unidentified man wanted to know if there will ever be “perp walks” for Hillary Clinton and high-level officials like the former heads of the FBI and CIA.

Listen to the question at the Montrose town hall and Boebert’s answer, in audio recorded by Anderson, here.

Boebert’s belief that a wave of resignations from Congress will allow Republicans to reclaim power before the next election is sure to raise some eyebrows.

The Epoch Times, identified as “a leading purveyor of right-wing misinformation” by the New York Times, exploded in size and influence during the Trump administration both by embracing the President and promoting innumerable conspiracy theories, many of which are linked to QAnon. The narrative referenced by Boebert appears to rooted in the “Spygate” and “Russiagate” conspiracy theories, of which The Epoch Times is a huge proponent of both. Per the New York Times:

“The publication has been one of the most prominent promoters of “Spygate,” a baseless conspiracy theory involving claims that Obama administration officials illegally spied on Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign. Publications and shows linked to The Epoch Times have promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory and spread distorted claims about voter fraud…”

Russiagate is a disinformation campaign denying Russian election meddling and falsely claiming that such accusations were created by former President Obama and Hillary Clinton to discredit Trump. Neither it nor “Spygate” is factual.

Full transcript of Boebert’s answer:

“So we are seeing a lot of ugliness uncovered, a lot of corruption exposed. But I believe that we are going to start seeing gifts and callings of righteous men and women exposed to counter all of this. Gifts that have remained dormant on the inside of people are going to start rising up. People are going to start filling these positions that they never saw themselves in, doing their part to serve their country. 

“Now, I want to tell you, I heard someone who is in very close contact with President Trump and the ins and outs of the White House under that administration talk to the owners of Epoch Times. They talked to the owners of Epoch Times and they said: ‘don’t change anything. You are right over the target.’

“So anyone who tries to tell you that this is a fringe newspaper/media don’t listen to them. I have very good sources to say this is really good information. Is it a hundred percent? I don’t know. But it’s really good information. And we all know that there was information that was declassified just a few days before President Trump left office. And I know someone who is involved in declassifying that. And this person is getting very tired of waiting on the DOJ to do something about it. And we will be hearing about it very, very soon. And this is my opinion with that information that I have, I believe we will see resignations begin to take place. And I think we can take back the majority in the House and the Senate before 2022 when all of this is ended.”

Before this video emerged, Boebert’s event in Montrose had already made headlines, and they haven’t been good.

First, her campaign only announced the meeting to local Republicans and asked them not to share the invite publicly.

Then a video, recorded by the Montrose Daily Press, showed her appearing to defend the extremists who stormed the U.S. Capitol, saying they were trying to petition their government. Boebert’s office denies she was speaking about the Jan. 6 insurrectionists but instead meant that the security fence in place since then, which prevents the public from accessing congressional offices, shows that Democrats believe anyone trying to petition their government is an insurrectionist.

Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the Colorado Times Recorder.