As a constituent of the Third CD congresswoman, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who continues to believe she is actually someone of significance, I marvel how she and her family continue to provide the public with examples of their outrageous behavior. According to news reports, Rep. Boebert was recently interviewed on a network that caters to conspiracy theorists who live in fantasy worlds and mentioned how a group of students confused her with California U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Her response, “I don’t think I’ve ever been so insulted in my life.” Really?

Rep. Pelosi served as speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. She was the first woman elected as U.S. House Speaker and the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress. Rep. Pelosi has served in the House since 1987. During her term in Congress, Pelosi has sponsored significant legislation that governs our daily lives including the Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan.

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Rep. Pelosi and her husband Paul are the parents of five children who have weathered the travails of public life without incident.

Since Boebert chose to publicly compare herself to Nancy Pelosi, it is only fair to examine that comparison.

To her credit, Boebert was successful in defeating a long-entrenched congressman to assume the office of U.S. Representative for the Third Congressional District in 2021. Because of her fear of being defeated in the Third after a close re-election victory, she is now running to represent the Fourth Congressional District earning her the moniker of “carpetbagger” by members of both political parties.

In one of her first appearances as a candidate for the Fourth CD, Boebert, along with other Republican candidates, proudly admitted they had previously been arrested. Denver television station Channel 9 reported she exhibited pride in her arrest by high-fiving with one of the other candidates. She was videotaped, once again (remember “Beetlejuice”), in exhibiting her total disrespect for the law and the solemnity of her office.

Her familiarity with arrest procedures is memorialized by the mugshot taken in 2015 after her arrest following a confrontation with law enforcement when she was handcuffed and issued a citation for disorderly conduct. The following year she was stopped for speeding and non-payment of a ticket.

Confrontation and involvement with the criminal justice system seems to follow the adults in the Boebert family syndicate. It is alleged that around 2004, her now divorced husband, Jayson, was previously arrested for indecent exposure to a minor which is a part of his permanent record. But wait, there’s more! Without prior notice to Jayson, Boebert filed divorce proceedings against him. It appears Jayson was rightfully distraught over her desire to end the marriage which led to further legal complications. In an attempt to settle matters, the two met at a restaurant where alcohol was consumed and ended in a raucous dispute wherein Jayson falsely accused his wife of punching him. A restraining order against Jayson was subsequently granted. Not to be dissuaded from further complications, Jayson was arrested once again within a matter of days on charges of suspicion of misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, prohibited use of a firearm, obstructing a peace officer, trespassing and disorderly conduct. The charges stemmed from the restaurant incident and a subsequent physical confrontation Jayson had with one of his sons, Tyler, while allegedly drunk. It appears Jayson was lying about being punched by the missus.

Subsequent to the above events, Tyler Boebert, the adult son to Boebert and Jayson, was arrested for alleged criminal acts involving four felony counts of “Criminal Possession ID Documents-Multiple Victims,” one felony count of “Conspiracy to Commit a Felony” and more than 15 additional misdemeanor and petty offenses. Tyler was identified by wearing a hoodie bearing the name of his mother’s defunct restaurant.

The reader should be reminded anyone charged with a crime is presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise.

But now back to the insulted one.

Recall again, Boebert’s behavior at the theatrical performance of “Beetlejuice,” where she and her male companion embarrassed themselves with their risqué, rude and juvenile behavior. It included groping each other at a performance attended by children. She and her participating guest were asked to stop disrupting the patrons attending and actually watching the performance. She refused to discontinue her outlandish behavior and was asked to leave the performance. Boebert, in true form to her disrespect for the rights of others, denied her behavior until presented with clear visual evidence to the contrary. Should she now be given gold marks for admitting she was previously arrested while reveling in the fact she has a criminal record? No, instead, she should be ashamed and held accountable for the misplaced pride she exhibits in her disdain for the rule of law.

Though Nancy Pelosi has established an exemplary track record of how a member of congress should conduct themselves and represent their constituents, Rep. Boebert apparently takes pride in the fact she abandoned her commitment to those of us who reside in the Third CD. She turned tail and ran when she realized she was no longer welcome in the Third and faced certain defeat. Her claim she is leaving the Third CD for the Fourth CD because she alone can save the constituents from themselves is a self-serving exposition of pure ego. There is virtually no philosophical or political difference among her and the other Republicans running for the seat. The difference is the other candidates actually have an interest in and affinity for the culture and community encompassing the Fourth CD.

To amplify her disdain for party norms, Boebert recently stuck her tongue out at the party faithful by accepting with open arms the endorsement of the state Republican Chair, comrade Dave Williams, who has offended the other candidates for the 4th by injecting his position as chair into the process. He has unilaterally hijacked the primary process by using the title of the Republican Party to support and endorse himself and Boebert at the expense of the other candidates. Instead of rejecting the endorsement in the interest of party unity, Boebert relishes the unfair advantage while her opponents are critical of Williams’s arrogance. Fairness and Boebert do not belong in the same sentence. Boebert can try but never rid herself of the carpetbag she carries.

In her short and uneventful term in office, Boebert has become a bona fide member of the swamp. She claims she did not resign her seat in the Third CD because she did not want to leave the district devoid of representation. Unfortunately, it has been devoid of representation since she was elected. She has not succeeded in the passage of any legislation without bipartisan support. In reality, the reason she did not resign is because she has become so accustomed to feeding from the government trough and would have to forfeit her extravagant salary. She, without shame, continues to draw her salary while campaigning for a seat in a different congressional district.

But wait, there’s more from the family who ridicules those who accept government support. In a recent newspaper report, it was disclosed son Tyler is having a difficult time securing funds for legal representation and may have to be represented by a public defender who will be compensated with taxpayer funds. This despite the fact his parents are reported to have a joint income in excess of $500,000. The syndicate’s willingness to continue to dig deeper into the trough is insulting to everyday citizens.

Lauren Boebert would do herself well by emulating Nancy Pelosi and her family’s  behavior and success in public life.

Dennis Maes served 24 years as a 10th Judicial District judge in Pueblo and was chief judge for 17 of those years. He previously served as director of Pueblo County Legal Services, Inc.; as a public defender and as an attorney in private practice.