Lauren Boebert 'makes George Santos look like a saint,' says retired House Republican who she's trying to replace

• Former Rep. Ken Buck recently sounded off against Lauren Boebert, who's now running for his seat.
• He said the congresswoman and her various controversies "makes George Santos look like a saint."

According to audio that recently aired on a Colorado talk radio station, former Rep. Ken Buck doesn't think all that highly of Rep. Lauren Boebert.

"She makes George Santos look like a saint," Buck can be heard saying on the audio heard on the "Dan Caplis Show." Buck was referring to the recently expelled New York Republican who's known for his myriad lies; Santos has been indicted on 23 charges, including wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty.

According to Politico, which first reported on the existence of the audio, Buck made those comments at a Rotary Club event after being asked about the controversial congresswoman.

"I've been asked about her moving across the mountains to run in the 4th congressional district, and I have not said anything," Buck can be heard saying before he references controversies surrounding her ex-husband and son, as well as her infamous "Beetlejuice" incident.

On Friday, Buck told Politico: "I went through a list of issues that I have not responded to that the press has asked me about."

Boebert, appearing on the show to respond to Buck's comments, fired back: "Ken Buck is so irrelevant and such an embarrassment to Colorado… I really don't care what he's asked about me."

The two Colorado Republicans have been at loggerheads recently over Buck's decision to suddenly resign, which has triggered a special election in Colorado's 4th district.

Boebert, facing the prospect of an expensive reelection campaign and a potential loss to a Democrat in her old district, opted to move across the state and run in the 4th district in December after Buck announced that he would retire.

She had already faced accusations of "carpetbagging" and a potentially tough fight to stay in Congress.

But Buck's decision to leave even sooner than the end of his term — which also shaved down the House GOP majority upon his departure last Friday — makes her path to staying in office even harder.

She's already sworn off seeking the GOP nomination for the special election, given that she would trigger another special election in her old seat if she won. Later on Thursday, local GOP officials are set to choose another candidate, possibly one of her current primary opponents.

That means Boebert may have to run against someone who has been anointed by the local party to serve for at least 6 months in Congress, putting her at a greater disadvantage.