Jayson Boebert, the ex-husband of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), thinks he “overreacted” when he called the police after an alleged physical altercation at a restaurant in Silt, Colorado, Saturday night.
Authorities are currently investigating, but Jayson told a local Denver outlet he wished “this all hadn’t happened.”
“I should have handled it more responsibly,” he said.
The source of Saturday’s conflict actually began earlier in the day, when the congresswoman came to Jayson’s house to pick up one of their kids for a dinner.
When Jayson tried to hug Lauren, she reportedly put her hand on his chest in an attempt to get him to back off, an aide to the congresswoman told the Daily Beast.
Jayson Boebert phoned a little while later to apologize and asked if they could meet in person. Lauren suggested a public place to, according to the aide, avoid a “he said/she said” situation.
The aide also told the Daily Beast that Jayson became “disrespectful,” “lewd” and “an asshole,” especially after he attempted to “grab” his ex-wife in a move that was “aggressive” and “not romantic.”
In response, the congresswoman tried to get Jayson to back off by putting her hand in his face.
When asked for his reaction to the aide’s allegations, Jayson Boebert told the Denver outlet, “That’s her story.”
Although Lauren Boebert’s aide insisted that she never punched Jayson, when he called the police, he claimed he was “a victim of domestic violence.”
Police arrived on the scene, but no one was arrested.
Jayson said he called the Silt Police Department the next day to thank them for how they handled the situation and to request no charges be filed against his ex-wife.
“I just wanted to tell them I appreciate everything, and if there was any charges, ask if I can have them removed,” he said. “There’s no injuries, there’s no nothing. Just a heated conversation. … Everyone has them.”
“I think I overreacted,” he continued, declining to comment on whether or not he was punched.
In a statement to The Washington Post, Lauren Boebert insisted, “I didn’t punch Jayson in the face and no one was arrested. I will be consulting with my lawyer about the false claims he made against me and evaluate all of my legal options.”
She also said the reaction to the alleged altercation is one reason why she recently decided to run for reelection in another district than the one she currently represents.
Jayson told the Denver outlet he’s “sorry for everything.”
“That’s the mother of my children,” Jayson said. “There’s a lot of lessons learned. I wish I spoke more life into our relationship instead of calling out things that bother me.”
He also emphasized how much he admires the congresswoman who was his wife of nearly 18 years.
“I know it’s just been a lot of bad things happening to her,” he said of the many scandals that have followed Lauren since filing for divorce in May. “But she’s a great person. I mean, looking back, I made a poor decision [to call the police].”