Aide to Lauren Boebert resigns following Capitol riots
‘Following the events of January 6th, I’ve decided to part ways with the office,’ said comms director Ben Goldey
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Your support makes all the difference.The communications director for newly elected Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, a gun-rights activist who has supported the QAnon conspiracy theory, has resigned after less than two weeks in office.
In a statement to Axios, Ben Goldey said: "Following the events of January 6th, I’ve decided to part ways with the office. I wish her and the people of Colorado’s Third District the best."
The Colorado congresswoman had pledged to object to electoral college results certifying president-elect Joe Biden as a mob stormed the halls of Congress following Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was “stolen” from his supporters.
Until earlier this year Mr Goldey was press secretary at the Department of Interior, and had spent time working for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
This week, the freshman Colorado Republican denied that she had led rioters on a tour of the US Capitol ahead of the insurrection on 6 January.
Representative Boebert, who said she would carry her firearm to Congress, is also facing calls for her resignation after posting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s movements during the attack on the US Capitol that left five dead.
She first shared that the lawmakers had been moved to the House chambers. Then, she tweeted out the "Speaker has been removed from the chambers."
Congresswoman Boebert was among several 2020 congressional candidates who had previously expressed support for QAnon, after she said that she hopes the baseless conspiracy theory – alleging a global paedophile ring that includes the majority of Democratic politicians and features secret executions, clones and an apocalyptic reckoning called "The Storm" – is “real”.
She has said she is not a QAnon follower but said she was glad that the US Attorney General’s office was investigating "deep state" activities.
Her communication director’s departure underscores reports of division within congressional GOP offices, including 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the president and speculation that several Republican senators will vote to convict him.
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