After theater groping shame, Lauren Boebert is being bankrolled by America's cringiest ex-congressman... and it exposes a MASSIVE hypocrisy

By SUSAN GREENE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 20:53, 14 May 2026 | Updated: 20:53, 14 May 2026 The exiled lawmaker once known as one of the cringiest people in Congress has emerged as the top campaign donor to the congresswoman who arguably shares that distinction. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who resigned from his congressional seat in 2024 amid a host of sexual misconduct allegations, is the largest contributor to Lauren Boebert, the GOP Colorado representative notorious for groping and being groped by her date in a Denver theater. Federal records show Gaetz gave Boebert's reelection bid $6,600 during the reporting cycle that ended in March. During that same period, Boebert has been pushing for tougher consequences for sexual offenders, including lawmakers accused of serious abuse.  The third-term Republican has said some Congress members should be expelled rather than allowed to resign and called for them to lose pensions and other benefits. 'That's rich,' one DC political observer told the Daily Mail. 'She’s suddenly on her moral high horse but it looks like she’ll take money from anybody.' And Eileen Laubacher, Boebert's presumptive Democratic opponent in November's election added: 'For someone who ran against the Washington establishment, Boebert has become exactly what she claimed to fight against – a typical insider politician who says one thing and does another when it benefits her politically. 'You cannot claim to stand with victims while repeatedly promoting and defending someone facing serious allegations involving sexual misconduct and minors.' Lauren Boebert has called for tougher punishment for sexual misconduct in Congress while taking campaign cash from Matt Gaetz, the Daily Mail can reveal The alliance between Gaetz and Boebert (pictured in the US House chamber in 2023) comes as she calls for harsher consequences for abusive lawmakers Boebert is perhaps best known outside her Colorado district for an incident in which she and her date groped and fondled each other while attending a 2023 performance of the musical Beetlejuice. After audience members complained that she was vaping inside the theater, using her phone and disrupting others during the performance, surveillance footage showed her date placing a hand on her breast and Boebert seemingly reaching toward his groin. Theater staff asked her to leave, and she was escorted out. Boebert denied acting inappropriately until surveillance video of her and her male companion was unveiled. The congresswoman has in recent months framed her comments about sexual misconduct among her colleagues in moral and religious terms, asking: 'Why is everybody so horny here?' and telling fellow members to 'Go to church, find Jesus.' Her query came after a pair of resignations roiled the House of Representatives following sexual misconduct allegations against former Congressmen Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales.  The two men called it quits in April after mounting pressure and allegations of fornicating with their staffers. Both denied wrongdoing. Boebert's statement about the 'horny' lawmakers, however, prompted a flood of hilarious responses pointing to her own antics at the Denver theater. That footage shows a man placing his hands on Boebert's chest, and she reciprocates by getting handsy herself. She was later kicked out of the venue after being caught vaping during the show.   Boebert was infamously caught on surveillance footage groping and being groped during a ' Beetlejuice' musical at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in 2023 Boebert has also spoken out against other high-profile sexual predators, emerging as one of the Republicans most loudly pushing the Justice Department to release the full cache Jeffrey Epstein files.  She has decried the pedophile financier's co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, as 'a monster' for her role sex trafficking teenage girls. In 2024, a bipartisan House Ethics Committee investigation found 'substantial evidence' that Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws by having sexual encounters with a 17-year-old, a minor under Florida law.  The report also concluded that he likely broke other laws by paying women for sex, using cocaine and ecstasy, making tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women connected to those activities and obstructing the investigation. The Justice Department investigated him for possible sex trafficking, but no criminal charges were ultimately filed. Gaetz denied any wrongdoing. Neither Boebert's congressional nor her campaign offices have returned the Daily Mail's request for comment about the apparent hypocrisy of decrying the kind of conduct her top donor allegedly engaged in. Gaetz could not be reached for comment.  Since his resignation from Congress, he has been working as a TV commentator and Republican influencer and activist, and eyeing a future run for political office. Boebert has appeared four times on The Matt Gaetz Show in the last six months. Despite his past history of sexual assault and statutory rape accusations, which he has denied, she even suggested that Gaetz lead the investigation into the Epstein files. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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