David B. Wheeler says his Boebert complaint is built on House disbursement records, FEC filings, text messages and named sources who gave written statements
David B. WheelerComplainant and president of American Muckrakers, writing in its newsletter
In a newsletter post on September 26, 2026, David B. Wheeler, president of American Muckrakers, wrote that his September 17 ethics complaint against Rep. Lauren Boebert is not built on rumor but on House disbursement records, FEC filings, text messages and named sources who gave written statements. He also wrote that Boebert answered by accusing him of a crime and that he sent her a cease-and-desist letter on September 22. The post gives no names and presents none of the statements.
“On September 17, I filed a sworn ethics complaint against Rep. Lauren Boebert with the House Ethics Committee. It isn't built on rumor. It's built on House disbursement records, FEC filings, text messages, and named sources who gave written statements.”
Original text
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Did Lauren Boebert have prohibited relationships with staff or misuse official or campaign funds?
David B. Wheeler publicly released a complaint dated September 17, 2026 alleging that Rep. Lauren Boebert had prohibited relationships with supervised employees and misused official or campaign funds. Former district director Clarice Navarro Ratzlaff denied the allegations involving her. Boebert denied inappropriate or sexual relationships with staff, and an unnamed representative rejected the complaint's allegations more broadly. The House Ethics Committee has not publicly confirmed accepting or investigating the submission, which falls within its 60-day preelection complaint window.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
A post in the American Muckrakers newsletter, signed by Wheeler as its president. It describes the September 17 ethics complaint, says Boebert answered by accusing him of a crime, gives his account of a 2022 Garfield County case, and says he sent Boebert a cease-and-desist letter on September 22. It also contains appeals for donations.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
The congressional office's revised release. The page keeps the original publication time of 8:49 p.m. EDT on September 20, 2026 and shows a last-modified time of 6:52 p.m. EDT on September 22. It replaces the September 20 version, which attributed its statement to a spokesperson and does not contain the sentence about perjury; that version is saved as an archive copy of its old address, which now redirects here. The revised release is issued in Boebert's name and quotes her directly.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
CBS Colorado reported on September 24 that Wheeler said both of his sources' statements are in his possession and were provided to the House Committee on Ethics, and that Jace Ratzlaff, the ex-husband of one of the staffers, told CBS Colorado he is not one of Wheeler's sources. Boebert's office revised its September 20 press release, which had attributed its denial to a spokesperson. The revised release, last modified on September 22, says Wheeler "also likely committed perjury and broke a federal law".
After the quotation
As of October 6, 2026, we did not find a House Ethics Committee statement confirming that it received the complaint or any statements.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns alleged prohibited staff relationships and misuse of official or campaign funds. Wheeler maintains that the complaint rests on records, text messages and named sources, which he offers in support of the allegations. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, because he rebuts the label of rumor; it does not fit because he goes on to assert the evidentiary basis for the allegations. The post presents none of the records or statements and does not show that the House Ethics Committee accepted the complaint.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Lauren Boebert
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by David B. Wheeler
- Previous language
- The context said "Boebert's September 20 press release denied the allegations and said Wheeler "likely committed perjury and broke a federal law"."
- Corrected language
- The context now says Boebert's office revised its September 20 press release, which had attributed its denial to a spokesperson, and that the revised release, last modified on September 22, says Wheeler "also likely committed perjury and broke a federal law".
The September 20 version of the release, which an archive copy preserves, does not contain the sentence about perjury. The sentence appears in the revised release, which the page shows as last modified on September 22. The context attributed the sentence to the earlier release.
This corrects our account of what happened.
Boebert’s congressional office rejects the complaint’s allegations, describes the filing as politically motivated, and discusses the House Ethics Committee’s complaint procedures. Those procedural and factual characterizations are attributed to the office, not treated as a committee determination.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)More from this case
Read the full caseWheeler asks for inquiry into the basis of Higgs's pay
“If that pay is tied to a family relationship rather than to the duties, it violates the House rule”Read statement
David B. Wheeler says he committed no crime and calls Boebert's perjury accusation a threat dressed up as a press release
“Boebert didn't answer the records. She answered by accusing me of a crime. Her official House press release was published on a taxpayer-funded government website says I "likely committed perjury and broke a federal law." Read that again: a sitting member of Congress used her official office to accuse a private citizen of a federal crime, in writing, on a .gov domain paid for by the public. I committed no crime. My complaint is sworn under 28 U.S.C. § 1746, the standard federal perjury exposure for a false statement, and it asks the Ethics Committee to do its job and investigate. That's not a rebuttal. That's a threat dressed up as a press release.”Read statement
Jace Ratzlaff says he was not a source for the Boebert ethics complaint and that he took a polygraph test
“I voluntarily submitted to a polygraph examination because I wanted there to be no ambiguity about my lack of involvement”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- David B. Wheeler says his Boebert complaint is built on House disbursement records, FEC filings, text messages and named sources who gave written statements
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/4891-in-a-newsletter-post-on-september-26-2026
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "David B. Wheeler says his Boebert complaint is built on House disbursement records, FEC filings, text messages and named sources who gave written statements". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4891-in-a-newsletter-post-on-september-26-2026