New video disputes Lauren Boebert's "silent protest" debt ceiling claim as reason for missing vote
New video appears to contradict Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert's claim that she intentionally missed the debt ceiling vote as a "silent protest."
CNN shared video Sunday showing Boebert running up U.S. Capitol steps and being told she missed the vote.
CBS News Colorado reached out to Boebert's office seeking clarification, but did not immediately receive a response.
Boebert has been vocal about her opposition to the debt ceiling bill, which President Joe Biden signed into law Saturday and suspends the nation's debt limit through January 1, 2025, to avert a default, the first time that would have happened in the U.S. Some economists warned it would have triggered a global economic catastrophe.
Her office said last week that she filed a "missing vote" form that said she would have voted "nay." Her nay vote is recorded in the official Congressional Record.
"Call it a protest — there's absolutely no way to ever justify adding another $4-6 trillion in debt," Boebert wrote in a tweet, accompanied by a video statement, Saturday. "This is more DC self-created garbage that I will always fight against."
But in the video, Boebert is seen running up the steps to the Capitol as a CNN reporter tells her, "They just closed it." The congresswoman asks, "They closed it?" The reporter replies, "Yeah," and Boebert continues up the steps.
A spokesman for Rep. Boebert said, "When she missed the vote, she took accountability and said she had 'no excuses.' In response to the media characterizing the missed vote, she said you can 'call it a no-show protest.' She was adamantly opposed to the so-called 'deal' from the beginning, and even more so after Members were not allowed to amend the bill."
