Boebert continues stoking controversy amid intense battle to keep her job

Three months after Rep. Lauren Boebert apologized for disruptive conduct at a Denver theater, the Colorado Republican attended a glitzy Republican gala headlined by former President Donald Trump in Manhattan, where her behavior once again raised eyebrows.

Three months after Rep. Lauren Boebert apologized for disruptive conduct at a Denver theater, the Colorado Republican attended a glitzy Republican gala headlined by former President Donald Trump in Manhattan, where her behavior once again raised eyebrows. At the December soiree, which was the New York Young Republican Club’s annual gala, multiple witnesses saw a server tell Boebert they would not bring her any more alcohol, with one witness telling CNN the server told the congresswoman they believed she had been overserved. Throughout the night, Boebert also kept attempting to snap selfies with Trump, who was sitting at the same table as her. Eventually, Trump’s security detail stepped in and asked Boebert to stop, according to the witnesses, who attended the event and saw the interaction take place. Trump, however, still gave Boebert his full and total endorsement last month, which Boebert’s allies say is proof he clearly wasn’t very bothered by the incident. They also say her boisterous and loud personality can sometimes be misconstrued, especially by people who don’t know her well. CNN has reached out to Boebert’s office for comment. But as Boebert desperately fights to keep her congressional career alive, the MAGA firebrand will need to dispel concerns about her controversial behavior – and accusations of carpetbagging – as she tries to convince voters in an entirely new district that she is best suited to represent a rural seat in eastern Colorado. Her allies, though, insist her congressional reputation will not be defined by her personal life, even if not everyone always agrees with her style. “It hasn’t encumbered her job performance,” GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida told CNN. “Look, some of that stuff that popped up wasn’t the best stuff to see. Even she acknowledges that. But none of us are perfect. Just because we’re elected officials doesn’t mean we’re any more perfect than anybody else. Stuff happens. But I think she has been able to do her job, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.” For her part, Boebert is leaning on her record as conservative congresswoman. That record includes getting the Pueblo Jobs Act signed into law, a bill the congresswoman has said will create a thousand new jobs in the area. She also has been participating in dozens of forums in the district. And Boebert, who has a hefty campaign war chest, is already up with her first TV ad touting Trump’s endorsement. But it’s a tricky balancing act for the embattled congresswoman as she tries to tone down her public image and prove she is a serious legislator without backing down from her identity as a flame-throwing MAGA warrior.