July 09, 2020 02:37 PM UTC

Lauren Boebert's "I Am Not A Witch" Moment

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• by: Colorado Pols

About a week before the June 30 Primary Election, we noted in this space that Republican congressional candidate Lauren “Yosemite Samantha” Boebert was really excited about the possibility that many of the “QAnon” conspiracy theories might someday turn out to be true. Ever since her surprise victory over incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton in last Tuesday’s Primary Election, Boebert has been trying — sort of — to downplay her love for QAnon conspiracies.

As Keagan Harsha reported for Fox 31 News on Monday:

While she may not be trying to distance herself in any way from the President, she is trying to separate herself from a far right wing conspiracy theory movement called QAnon.

Boebert has been criticized for appearing to sympathize with the movement, which has supported debunked theories that the Clintons and several other prominent Democrats are involved in a human trafficking and child sex ring, and that there’s a deep state working to undermine President Trump.

“I believe there are people working in the administration that at least appear to be actively undermining President Trump,” Boebert said.

However, while she supports a few of QAnon’s theories, Boebert says she is not a QAnon sympathizer.

“No. I’m not a follower. This is just a fake attack from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,” she said. “QAnon is a lot of things to different people. I was very vague in what I said before. I’m not into conspiracies. I’m into freedom and the Constitution of the United States of America. I’m not a follower,” she said. [Pols emphasis]

Boebert and her new team of political advisers no doubt understand that her sympathetic views toward QAnon conspiracy theories make her look…well, a tad crazy…so it’s no surprise that she is furiously backpedalling now that she is officially the Republican nominee in CO-3. Former State Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams tried to help out in an Op-Ed for The Denver Post today by promoting the idea that Boebert didn’t say what she is already on record saying:

Washington, D.C. leftist groups are already unfairly and inaccurately painting her as a right-wing extremist; she must not be pulled into discussions of conspiracy theories such as QAnon.

Sorry, Dick, but that ship already sailed. Nobody is “inaccurately painting” Boebert as a QAnon supporter; Boebert was captured ON VIDEO making her pro-QAnon comments in an interview with the “Steel Truth” show in May.

We can now add Lauren Boebert to the ever-growing list of QAnon supporters who are running for Congress. https://t.co/VJbFGkYKLx pic.twitter.com/m1bklAfikp

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) May 18, 2020

Here’s what Boebert said about QAnon in response to a direct question about the “movement”:

“Honestly, everything that I’ve heard on ‘Q’ — I hope that this is real, because it only means that America is getting stronger and better, and people are returning to conservative values. And that’s what I am for. And, so, everything that I have heard of this movement is only motivating and encouraging and bringing people together, stronger, and if this is real, then it could be really great for our country.”

Boebert can argue over whether she is a “supporter” or a “sympathizer” or a “follower” of QAnon, but that’s a distinction without a difference.

With any luck, Boebert’s QAnon conspiracy problems will eventually lead to a television ad like this infamous spot from Christine O’Donnell, a Republican Senate nominee in Delaware in 2010 who tried — and failed — to push back on accusations that she was an actual witch.