Lauren Boebert denies report she was in contact with Jan. 6 organizers before Capitol attack

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert is roundly denouncing a published report that she was among House Republicans who participated in meetings and conversations with organizers behind the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that took a violent turn as supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.

Two of the people involved in planing pro-Trump rallies that preceded the attack on the Capitol told Rolling Stone magazine in an article that posted Sunday that multiple members of Congress — including Boebert — took part in "dozens" of briefings before the day Congress met to certify Joe Biden's election as president.

The two, granted anonymity by the magazine because they're part of an ongoing investigation, have been communicating with congressional investigators looking into the efforts to overturn Trump's loss, Rolling Stone reports. They make clear they weren't part of any plans to attack the Capitol but instead were discussing how the demonstration could back up objections some of the Republicans were planning to file.

"Let me be clear," said Boebert in a statement released Monday afternoon. "I had no role in the planning or execution of any event that took place at the Capitol or anywhere in Washington, DC on January 6th. With the help of my staff, I accepted an invitation to speak at one event but ultimately I did not speak at any events on January 6th. Once again, the media is acting as a messaging tool for the radical left."

Boebert was one of several Republican lawmakers who were scheduled to speak at a rally on the Ellipse, across from the White House, on the morning of Jan. 6, but the event ran long and she didn't speak.

In the statement, Boebert went on to blast her critics for a series of accusations that she played a role in the violence on Jan. 6 that so far haven't stood up to scrutiny, including an allegation she conducted a "reconnaissance tour" of the Capitol and an ethics complaint filed against her by a Democratic lawmaker that was ultimately dismissed.

"Now, grasping at straws, Rolling Stone is using anonymous sources and shoddy reporting to attack me," Boebert said.

"Thank you, next."

"We would talk to Boebert's team, Cawthorn's team, Gosar's team like back to back to back to back," one of the organizers told Rolling Stone, referring to Republican U.S. Reps. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Paul Gosar of Arizona. They were also identified by Rolling Stone as taking part in the conversations with the organizers, along with U.S. Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Louie Gohmert of Texas.

The magazine also reported that it has obtained documents showing that both of its anonymous sources were in contact with Gosar and Boebert on Jan. 6.

Boebert, who was sworn into office just three days before the events of Jan. 6, spoke on the House floor before the Capitol was breached, in a four-minute speech saying that electoral votes from Arizona should not be counted. She argued that the state's legislature hadn't approved some procedural changes taken by election officials and ordered by judges in response to the pandemic.

Linking to the Rolling Stone article, Democratic U.S .Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island tweeted:

"Any Member who had knowledge of or helped plan the January 6 attack on the Capitol needs to be immediately expelled from Congress. They cannot be trusted with the future of our democracy and country."