Apparently, it wasn’t the smoke machines.
After being kicked out of a performance of a Beetlejuice musical in Downtown Denver last weekend for vaping, being on her phone and making a racket, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) made light of the incident, saying she was guilty only of “laughing and singing out loud” and, according to her campaign, any vapor present was due to what a representative told the Washington Post were “heavy fog machines and electronic cigarettes used during the show.” The rep explained that there might have been “a misunderstanding from someone sitting near her.”
That someone was reportedly a pregnant woman who, sitting directly behind the Colorado Congresswoman, asked her to stop vaping, which Boebert allegedly refused to do.
In the past day, however, surveillance video from the theater seems to show Boebert vaping in her seat, among other things.
She cited a tough personal period as she goes through a divorce and said, “I simply fell short of my values on Sunday. That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry.”
See below.
The past few days have been difficult and humbling, and I’m truly sorry for the unwanted attention my Sunday evening in Denver has brought to the community,” Boebert’s statement said. “While none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm, the reality is they did and I regret that.
There’s no perfect blueprint for going through a public and difficult divorce, which over the past few months has made for a challenging personal time for me and my entire family. I’ve tried to handle it with strength and grace as best I can, but I simply fell short of my values on Sunday. That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry.
Whether it was the excitement of seeing a much-anticipated production or the natural anxiety of being in a new environment, I genuinely did not recall vaping that evening when I discussed the night’s events with my campaign team while confirming my enthusiasm for the musical,” Boebert’s statement on Friday night said. “Regardless of my belief, it’s clear now that was not accurate. It was not my or my campaign’s intention to mislead, but we do understand the nature of how this looks. We know we will have to work to earn your trust back and it may not happen overnight, but we will do it.