Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert has denied allegations she showed a group through the Capitol before the Jan. 6 riot, amid claims by Democrats that the demonstrators were aided by a "reconnaissance" trip ahead of the siege, Newsweek reported on Tuesday.
Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen told CNN on Monday that he and his colleague, Rep. John Yarmuth, witnessed the newly elected congresswoman from Colorado "taking a group of people for a tour sometime after the 3rd and before the 6th."
Although Cohen admitted he could not remember the exact date the tour occurred and did not know if anyone in the group she led around later took part in the siege, he said "it's pretty clear … she's not on the home team. She was with the visitors."
Similar allegations have been made, although Cohen is the first congressman to specifically accuse another representative of doing so.
Capitol Police and the FBI have not confirmed if they are looking into such allegations, CNN reported.
Boebert sent a letter to Cohen saying that his allegations were "categorically false" and that his remarks had threatened her safety and that of her staff and family.
"I have never given a tour of the U.S. Capitol to any outside group," she said, adding that she brought her family to the Capitol on Jan. 2 for a tour and on the following day for pictures to mark the day she was sworn in.
"I do not support unlawful acts of violence and support the rule of law," she said, adding, "Your false statements are extraordinarily irresponsible during this period in time. ... You went on CNN today and repeated irresponsible lies in order to elevate your own political relevance and to further fuel the division of our country."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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