Rep. Lauren Boebert is threatening legal action against a group claiming she once worked as an “unlicensed, paid escort” for wealthy clients and had two abortions, Fox News reported on Wednesday, June 15, 2022 (story here).
Boebert, through a lawyer, called the claims “fabricated” and “without evidence.”
As a public figure, she would have to prove the claims are not only false, but also malicious, to win a libel case. Her lawyer argues the case meets the “actual malice” standard, and in addition, asserts American Muckraker PAC’s actions violated a Colorado criminal statute against “knowingly or recklessly false information meant to influence an election.”
Fox said photos circulated by American Muckraker were of another woman, and noted, “Liberals have been quick to jump on the seedy allegations, which spread like wildfire across social media.” They do seem to be getting a lot of attention, from what I can tell.
This story is barely 24 hours old, and it’s hard to say where this might go. Unanswered questions at this point include: Will Boebert actually sue and/or file a criminal complaint? Can American Muckrakers back up its claims? Was their press release serious, a spoof or satire, or a malicious smear?
If it turns out to be true, Boebert’s legal claims will be dead in the water. If it’s false, proving malice and/or intent to influence an election (she’s running for re-election) still could be difficult. If it’s somewhere in-between, and American Muckrakers got major details wrong, a legal case would become more difficult, but she might get a sympathy vote from people who were on the fence about her and feel she was wronged.
Stay tuned.