Mesa County Republicans stand by Boebert after State of the Union outburst

The Mesa County Republican Party stands by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert after Boebert interrupted President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address, right before he spoke about his deceased son, to blame Biden for the death of service members. 

The party completely supports Boebert, Mesa County Chairman Kevin McCarney wrote in response to Newsline’s question about the party’s response to Boebert’s comments and the criticism she received over her outburst. 

“Her ‘outburst’ was a reminder to the American People that as much as President Biden wants us all to forget the tragedy of the Afghanistan withdrawal 13 of our Soldiers died when The President decided to leave security check points in the hands of the Taliban,” McCarney wrote. “He left thousands of Americans behind and gifted the terrorists $86 Billion in Arms and Equipment.”

As Biden was talking about cancer that put service members in a “flag-draped coffin,” Boebert yelled, “You put them in (coffins), 13 of them,” according to a States Newsroom reporter who was in the House chamber. 

“It is unfortunate that the Press has seen fit to forget the ongoing story in Afghanistan,” McCarney wrote. “It was President Biden’s weakness that encouraged Russian President Putin to invade Ukraine. We can not afford a weak President in these times.”

Boebert represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and is running for reelection this year.  

Mesa County is the most populated Western Slope county in Boebert’s district.

Other responses

Few lawmakers and officials in Colorado supported Boebert’s comments. 

Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat of the 6th Congressional District, called Boebert’s interruption “entirely inappropriate.”

State Sen. Don Coram (R-Montrose), who is challenging Boebert in this year’s Republican primary, said Boebert’s behavior is better served in a junior high school or side show at a carnival. 

Marina Zimmerman, who is also running to unseat Boebert, tweeted that Boebert “humiliated our great state in front of millions of viewers.”

Boebert’s office last week directed Newsline to two of her tweets when asked for comment about the criticism. “When Biden said flag draped coffins I couldn’t stay silent. I told him directly he did it. He put 13 in there,” one tweet said. 

“(The left) are mad because a speech was ‘interrupted.’ Ask the families who lost their loved ones how interrupted their lives are now,” the other tweet said.

The speech

Biden was speaking about Beau Biden, who served in the Iraq War and died of brain cancer in 2015. 

When Biden was speaking about immigration policy during his speech, both Boebert and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, stood up and yelled “build the wall.”