MAGA spokeswoman Lauren Boebert is sending conflicting messages about whether President Donald Trump pressured her to withdraw her support for the effort to force a vote on the Jeffrey Epstein cases.
Boebert, 38, is one of four House Republicans who joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition to defy party leadership and vote on a bill that would open a Justice Department investigation.
The president called her on Tuesday to discuss her support for the petition, and she attended a White House hearing on the late sex offender’s case on Wednesday, according to multiple outlets.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel also attended the White House hearing, but Boebert still refused to remove her name from the petition.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump tried to block a vote on the release of the Epstein files. / Joe Raedle / Getty Images
After the meeting, she told the Conservative Daily call that she had “no pressure” and that “everyone was great and worked well with me.” But later that evening, she shared a post on social media suggesting that the president may have pressured her after all.
The post includes a video of reporter Kyle Clark of NBC affiliate 9News in Denver, Colorado, calling Boebert “courageous” for apparently refusing to help Trump bury the Epstein files.
“Despite pressure and reported threats, Boebert effectively defied the president,” he said. “Standed firmly against the wishes of his party and its president.”
“Regardless of how viewers feel about Boebert’s politics, anyone who cares about children, accountability and transparency has her to thank,” he added.
The congresswoman shared the video along with an emoji of two eyes wide open, usually used to draw attention to someone.
Boebert, who is a grandmother, was forced to face charges of child abuse in her family in 2025. in July, when her 20-year-old son, Tyler, was convicted of “criminal negligence” involving his young son.
“Tyler has done a great job this past year of making his life right as a father and a citizen,” Boebert said. “Unfortunately, this incident stemmed from a misunderstanding while watching over my young grandson, which resulted in him recently leaving our home.
Trump was good friends for more than a decade with Epstein, who died in a prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. For months, the president has tried to block proposed legislation to release hundreds of thousands of new documents in the case.
During her daily press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to frame the meeting as positive, saying it was evidence of the Trump administration’s transparency.
That same day, newly sworn-in Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona delivered a decisive 218th signature on the discharge petition.
Trump also tried to convince other MAGA defectors to withdraw their support for the petition, including Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
The effort was backed by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, who has been a pro-Trump barb throughout the year.
Donald Trump was friends with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein for more than a decade. / Davidoff Studios / Getty Images
House Speaker Mike Johnson said a vote would be held next week after five other members of his caucus said they supported disclosure.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.