Top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration met with Rep. Lauren Boebert in the White House Situation Room on Wednesday morning to discuss a vote on releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, according to multiple reports.
Afterwards, the Colorado Republican defended the unusual meeting location, telling NOTUS, “I guess I’m pretty high profile.”
During the meeting, officials from the White House and Justice Department attempted to convince Boebert to remove her name from a discharge petition which sought to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, according to ABC News.
At the time, the petition had 217 signatures — just one shy of the 218 needed to go into effect. Boebert was one of the few Republicans to sign on to the measure. Later in the day, Rep. Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, provided the extra signature after she was finally sworn into office by House Speaker Mike Johnson, following weeks of delays.
“Doesn’t that show the level of transparency when we are willing to sit down with members of Congress and address their concerns?” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters when asked about the meeting, according to CNN.
She added: “I’m not going to detail conversations that took place in the Situation Room.”
Separately, Trump phoned Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the other Republicans who signed the petition — but she didn’t change her position, writing in a social media post, “I will NEVER abandon other survivors.”
After the Situation Room sit-down, Boebert wrote on X, “I want to thank White House officials for meeting with me today. Together, we remain committed to ensuring transparency for the American people.”
She told CNN that Trump made no attempt to pressure her to remove her signature from the discharge petition.
Later, a reporter asked the three-term congresswoman why the Situation Room was necessary for the meeting. Historically, the secure West Wing room has been used to coordinate matters of national security, such as the 2011 attack on Osama Bin Laden.
“It’s just an easy SCIF to get to,” Boebert told NOTUS afterwards, adding, “I guess I’m pretty high profile.”
A pair of former Biden administration officials disagreed, telling the outlet that hosting the lawmaker in the Situation Room is “weird” and “highly unusual.”
But the rarefied room, or the words uttered inside it, ultimately had no effect on Boebert, who kept her name on the discharge petition — a decision that had major consequences.
The rules governing the petition process would mandate a vote by early December, according to Politico. But, Johnson said the House will vote next week.
The Independent has contacted the White House and Boebert for comment.
