A campaign filing seems to confirm Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert knew her former flame Quinn Gallagher longer than she initially claimed after they were ejected from a performance of Beetlejuice due to disruptive behavior at a Denver theater.
Boebert has continued to weather criticism about her "outrageous behavior," and those who attended the performance confirmed she was vaping and taking photos during the show. Boebert said she and Gallagher had been on a first date at the time.
Additionally, Boebert was caught on surveillance video getting rather hot and heavy with her date. The video showed Boebert and Gallagher fondling each other in the middle of a performance where children were present.
Now Politico has broken a story contradicting Boebert's version of events, revealing that, months before her theater antics, she spent hundreds of campaign dollars at the bar owned by Gallagher.
Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar in Aspen, Colorado, hosted Boebert's campaign as guests in late July, as indicated by a recent campaign finance filing referred to by Politico that suggests Boebert had a longer-standing relationship than she initially suggested. The $317.48 campaign expense at Hooch was classified as "event catering."
Boebert's campaign manager, Drew Sexton, moved to shut down Politico's report, saying in a statement to reporters that Boebert's decision to meet "with donors and covering their food and beverage costs at a popular local establishment of their choosing is a standard campaign procedure."
Many have criticized Boebert in response.
Hooch is known for hosting drag shows, which have been a point of contention for Boebert and other conservatives.
Last month, drag queen Kendra Matic—who headlined a drag burlesque show at Gallagher's establishment—contradicted Boebert's claims, saying the two had been dating for "months."
Kendra Matic called Gallagher an "amazing guy" but said she otherwise would not have cared about his relationship with Boebert had she not done more research into Boebert's history of attacking the LGBTQ+ community.
She said she doesn't "understand why [Boebert] has that hate speech all the time...because we [the LGBTQ+ community] don't do anything wrong."
