A Democratic-aligned political action committee that has hounded incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Silt as she seeks reelection sued the congresswoman this week for defamation, alleging she made damaging statements about the committee to national media and other figures.
American Muckrakers — which made dramatic claims about Boebert’s past in the lead-up to the Republican primary in June, many of which included false details — and its founder David Wheeler filed the civil suit in North Carolina on Wednesday.
“We look forward to seeing Boebert in a North Carolina court room and a conference room for a deposition,” Wheeler said in a statement.
The lawsuit alleges that Boebert defamed the organization after it published its allegations against her and that she obtained a temporary restraining order against Wheeler through malicious prosecution. Those actions allegedly hurt the reputation and finances of the PAC and Wheeler.
In June, American Muckrakers claimed that Boebert, one of the most conservative members of Congress, of having two abortions and previously being an escort. Wheeler got that information from a variety of sources through unrecorded phone calls, in person meetings, text messages, emails and Twitter messages, according to the lawsuit, and had “no reason to believe the Sources’ information was false.”
Shortly after, Boebert responded to the allegation and told Sean Hannity on his Fox News show that there was no evidence for the claims and that Wheeler knew the claim was false when he published it. She called Wheeler a “hack” and said she would pursue legal action against him, which she never did. She made similar comments to a reporter with the conservative newspaper the Washington Examiner, to conservative commentator Tomi Lahren and in an official statement.
The lawsuit claims that Boebert made those incorrect statements with the intent to damage the reputation of American Muckrakers.
After Boebert’s comments, the committee’s revenue took a free fall, the lawsuit says, dropping from an average of about $20,000 per month to less than $1,300 per month.
The loss in revenue affected Wheeler personally, as his “sole source of income” is from American Muckrakers.
The committee has raised about $241,000 and spent nearly all of that in its efforts.
Wheeler is seeking damages in excess of $25,000 each for claims of libel, slander and malicious prosecution, as well as seeking punitive damages.
Boebert’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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