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November 23, 2021 09:13 AM UTC

Backup? Backstab? Boebert Belatedly Wades Into "MesaGate"

  • 24 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: In a Facebook post this morning, a ‘heartbroken’ Sherronna Bishop responds to Rep. Lauren Boebert’s praise for the Mesa County DA:

The Mesa County DA overseeing this Warrant
“Acted in a professional and responsible way”
Says Congresswoman Lauren Boebert
Huh. Unprecedented action busting a door down, guns drawn, handcuffing a mother in front of her children then going through my home and taking my electronics.
I have ZERO criminal history
I have ZERO violent history.
All things the use of force by the FBI are reserved for.
I have also not spoken with or been interviewed by the Congresswoman.
Breaks my heart.

The faithful are greatly dismayed:

Folks, they’re talking about Lauren Boebert. Let that sink in.

This is a fateful moment in Boebert’s short political career.

—–

Rep. Lauren Boebert with 2020 primary campaign manager Sherronna Bishop.

The Grand Junction Sentinel’s Dale Shrull updating with a significant development in the ongoing federal criminal investigation into the “MesaGate” election systems data breach, allegedly committed by Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters with assistance from Rep. Lauren Boebert’s former campaign manager Sherronna Bishop and a range of far-right players including “MyPillow Guy” Mike Lindell and the man believed to be behind the “QAnon” conspiracy theory–easily the craziest story in Colorado politics this year, which is no mean feat.

After months of stone-cold silence while these friends and close political allies of Boebert have come under criminal investigation, fled into hiding and re-appeared, defending themselves by claiming as Boebert has herself said innumerable times that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and every law they broke was to prove it (even though they did not prove any such thing), yesterday Rep. Boebert announced they she had received a “briefing” from Mesa County DA Dan Rubenstein about the case:

“Many of the constituents I represent have expressed concern about the ongoing investigation into Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters. At my request, I recently received a briefing from District Attorney Dan Rubinstein,” the statement said. “He addressed my concerns about the involvement of the FBI and the absolute necessity for the presumption of innocence to be extended to all of those being investigated.”

Boebert said she has been an opponent of the “overreach and targeted nature of the FBI’s activities on a national level” in the past, and that was one reason she spoke to Rubinstein.

“It was clear from our conversation that the District Attorney is being responsible in his approach and conducting his work in as timely and professional a manner as possible, as well as providing local oversight of the FBI’s role,” her statement said.

Tine Peters supporters rally in Grand Junction.

Given Boebert’s close ties to at least one of the individuals whose homes were searched by the FBI and local law enforcement last week, her former campaign manager Sherronna Bishop, this “briefing” Boebert received from DA Dan Rubenstein could be considered highly inappropriate–for Boebert to request and for DA Rubenstein to grant. Boebert’s trashing of the FBI for its “targeted activities” is a clear shot at the investigations into the January 6th insurrection and far-right militia groups for which Boebert has a well-known affinity.

But interestingly, as you can read above Boebert came away from her meeting with nothing but praise for DA Rubenstein and an affirmation of his methods in the investigation so far–seemingly a huge blow to her erstwhile friends complaining about “large teams of heavily armed federal agents” smashing their way into the homes of any American who dares to oppose critical race theory and sex ed. Also and perhaps just as noteworthy is how Boebert doesn’t even touch the underlying question once central to her message, which is the belief despite any evidence that the 2020 elections were stolen from Donald Trump.

Boebert’s roaring silence as the scandal in her backyard involving some of her closest political allies has grown into national news has always struck us as indicative of a bigger story behind the scenes. Wading into the scandal via the politically-friendly district attorney in the case could be yet another serious ethics problem for Boebert.

On the other hand, if Boebert really is cutting her old friends loose…that’s huge news too. After all, we’re talking about Boebert’s core base of support in CD-3. If Boebert demoralizes the hard-right Republican base by leaving Clerk Peters and her alleged co-conspirators to twist in the wind, who does Boebert have left in her corner to stave off a primary challenge?

Watch this space for updates. We expect them.

Comments

24 thoughts on “Backup? Backstab? Boebert Belatedly Wades Into “MesaGate”

  1. My good friend Bill Hugenberg (retired atty and former Army intelligence) asked the question in a letter to the editor in which both Rubenstein and I were CC'd. Rubenstein replied… twice. 

    Grand Junction Daily Sentinel   

    P.O. Box 668

    Grand Junction, CO  81502

     

    Dear Editors:

    This afternoon, the 3rd C.D.’s controversial Congresswoman Lauren Boebert released a statement “regarding the FBI’s investigation into Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters” wherein she claimed to have been personally briefed tegsrding the case by Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein (Channel  11 News, “Lauren Boebert responds to FBI investigation of Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters”, Nov. 22; https://www.nbc11news.com/2021/11/22/lauren-boebert-responds-fbi-investigation-mesa-county-clerk-recorder-tina-peters/).

    If Boebert is to be believed (which is more often than not problematic), the real question is why Rubenstein is “briefing” or discussing an ongoing criminal investigation with any political official – much less one tangentially connected to the same “Big Lie” that Peters espouses and who is potentially subject to criminal investigation herself.

    After all, as Charles Ashby previously reported, Peters flew to South Dakota on a plane provided by “MyPillow Guy” Mike Lindell, and was accompanied by “Jacqueline Anderson, vice chairwoman of the Mesa County Republican Party, her husband Duke Everest, and Sherronna Bishop”, Boebert’s one-time campaign manager (“Peters used tax dollars to pay for South Dakota flight”, Aug 22).  Since Bishop’s connection to Peters’  alleged criminal conspiracy was sufficient to afford probable cause for a federal search warrant, it remains entirely plausible that Boebert herself was similarly involved.

    Therefore, Rubenstein should promptly release the complete transcript and/or recording of whatever he told Boebert and refrain from any future contact with her outside the public’s view.  Otherwise, Rubenstein should recuse himself from the investigation and refer all “briefing” requests to Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office.

    Rubenstein, Weiser, and the FBI should not allow a dishonestly self-serving politician like Boebert — who cynically questions the integrity of her own election — to similarly taint the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigation into her supporters’ conduct.

                                                                            Bill Hugenberg

     

    First Response: 

    n Nov 22, 2021, at 7:37 PM, Dan Rubinstein <dan.rubinstein@mesacounty.us> wrote:
     

     Wow, Bill. You really cannot read the room at all. I would have thought this story was your victory dance against Bishop and Peters. 

    Can you really not figure out what happened today?  

    Second Response:

    Now they (The Sentinel) can read a room. 

    https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/politics/boebert-reaches-out-to-da-for-briefing-on-peters-incident/article_d6ea3a4e-4bcc-11ec-acd6-a3c7fc9a8a56.html

    1. Hugenberg follow up to today's front page story …

      Tuesday’s timely front-page report by Dale Shrull (“Boebert asks DA for briefing on Peters’ incident”) raises more questions than it answers about the relationship between our sleazy Trumpublican-excuse-for-a-Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (see her other Monday tax-funded vomit-filled press release “Fighting Socialism”, Nov. 22) and our otherwise reputable-beyond-reproach Republican District Attorney Dan Rubinstein

      First, what was Boebert doing asking Rubinstein for a “briefing” about FBI raids on her supporters in the first place?  Did the FBI/DOJ in D.C. properly tell her to “F**k Off” or “Get Lost”, because she should not be “briefed” on any ongoing criminal investigations?  Was she similarly rebuffed by Colorado’s Attorney General Phil Weiser, who also has jurisdiction over Mesa County?

      Second, why did Rubenstein respond to Boebert’s inappropriate request at all? Does he think he owes a fellow (regardless of how sleazy) Republican some special courtesy?  Is he unaware of the perception-of-impropriety he creates when he appears to succumb to Boebert’s blandishment and entertains her attempt to co-opt his integrity onto herself?

      Third, Rubenstein says Boebert “wanted to know how full of it Tina [Peters] and Sherronna [Bishop] are, and what she could do to let [his] investigation conclude without their distractions”.  However, Boebert undoubtedly already knew that Peters and her former campaign manager were bald-faced liars, so what was her ulterior motive — to ingratiate herself to Rubenstein by calling him “responsible” and “professional”?  Why didn’t Rubenstein just tell her to stay out of it? – Or perhaps that’s exactly what he told her!

      Fourth, how can Boebert claim “that she will continue to be briefed during the ongoing investigation” when she herself is a potential suspect? – Or perhaps that is her intent all along:  to stay close to the investigation as it closes in on her.

      We need more answers from Rubenstein and Weiser (or the Sentinel)!

                                                                              Bill Hugenberg

  2. Maybe Q-bert isn't so stupid after all. (Or more likely, Jayson "Six-Inch Thumb" Boebert or one of her staff members explained to her what she needed to do to survive.)

    She's decided to throw Her Sherronna to the sharks to put some distance between herself and the Lindell-Peters-Bishop cabal of nut jobs.

          1. The sad thing is that, having wrecked the agriculturalbase, eastern Coloradans have no interest in building a new economy — as Wray’s rejection of the CBD plant showed.  Soon the only industries will be federal subsidies and T-shirts denouncing socialism.

    1. R&R is probably “reading the room” correctly: that is, Peters and Bishop are lying and playing victims of overreach, the law enforcement guys (Rubinstein and AG Weiser) are telling the truth about what the home search was like, Bobo is just trying to seem important and on the job while edging towards throwing Peters and MySherrona under the bus to save herself. 

      Did I read that room right? Or do you have to be from Mesa County to get it?

    2. You can be stupid and still listen to your handlers, image-makers and lawyers.

      It may be a sign that Boebert's higher-ups have realized that Tina Peters's and company are in deep doodoo, and the FBI investigation is likely to net a wider circle of criminals.

    3. One has to wonder if Sherronna will sing a bit about Boebert’s own conduct during the campaign. Seems like the campaign manager might be in a pretty good position to shed some light on whether all that mileage she claimed is actually legit, eh?

  3. “He addressed my concerns about the involvement of the FBI and the absolute necessity for the presumption of innocence to be extended to all of those being investigated.”

    “It was clear from our conversation that the District Attorney is being responsible in his approach and conducting his work in as timely and professional a manner as possible, as well as providing local oversight of the FBI’s role,”

    Complete sentences, three- and four-syllable words???? . . .

    Not sure who wrote that, but I know it definitely wasn’t Pew-pew?  (Hell, I have doubts she can even read it, even with her glasses??!!)

    “. . .’rogue’ competent staffer,” anyone???

  4. If the DA's briefing is "we got a search warrant from a judge, went to the locations specified in the warrant, and completed the search" and "no, we did not use a battering ram" — the briefing could well be legitimate and unobjectionable.  Warrants and what they authorize are often public records and clearly, confirming a search happened and what tactics were used in the search seems to me to be a reasonable legislative oversight of government. 

     

    1. Warrants in Mesa County are almost always sealed at the request of the DA. This practice has grown from serious crimes and pending arrests to include just about everything. If the DA wants it sealed, the judges seal it. Other jurisdictions have different practices.

      I'd be surprised if Rubenstein showed or told Boobert about actual evidence. He's smarter than that.

       

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