After a shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado left four victims dead and 25 injured in what is reportedly a targeted hate crime, newly reelected congresswoman Lauren Boebert issued a statement offering her prayers to the victims and the families.
“The news out of Colorado Springs is absolutely awful,” Boebert tweeted on Sunday. “This morning the victims & their families are in my prayers. This lawless violence needs to end and end quickly.”
The news out of Colorado Springs is absolutely awful.
This morning the victims & their families are in my prayers.
This lawless violence needs to end and end quickly.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) November 20, 2022
However, it didn’t take long for critics to latch on the fact that Boebert has routinely championed anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and, like most Republicans, she has a well-documented history of being obsessed with guns and voting against any attempt to regulate their use. Armed with that information, Whoopi Goldberg did not appreciate Boebert’s disingenuous display of concern for the shooting victims and called her out on Monday morning’s episode of The View.
5 DEAD IN COLORADO LGBTQ+ NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING: #TheView co-hosts weigh in on America's latest mass shooting in Colorado Springs and react to GLAAD and other activists pointing fingers at the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation. https://t.co/cVclFZyKV0 pic.twitter.com/DaH8F4kTog
— The View (@TheView) November 21, 2022
“They don’t really need your prayers and thoughts. They needed your votes,” Whoopi said via The Wrap. “That’s what they need.”
After dragging Boebert for her pro-gun voting record, Whoopi went to town on the congresswoman being on the frontlines of attacking LGBTQ rights. Boebert has not shied away from belittling pronouns or demonizing gay marriage, which often inspires shooters like the one in Colorado.
“This is what rhetoric brings,” Whoopi said. “Words matter. And people like Lauren Boebert, who, you know, has been in the forefront of dissing LGBTQ+ people is now saying her prayers and thoughts go with the families.”
(Via The Wrap)