Who is Laura Loomer?
FILE-Far-right activist Laura Loomer. (Photo by Jacob M. Langston for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump is set to fire several White House National Security Council officials after being urged by Laura Loomer to discard staffers she considered inadequately loyal to Trump’s agenda.
Who is Laura Loomer?
The backstory:
Laura Loomer is a far-right activist who has touted 9/11 conspiracy theories and routinely appeared on the campaign trail during Donald Trump’s 2024 successful White House run. Loomer has been vocal on social media about some members of Trump’s national security team that she insists can’t be trusted.
"It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my research findings," Loomer posted on X. "I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of, and the necessity of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America, and our national security."
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Loomer, also promotes QAnon, an apocalyptic and convoluted conspiracy theory centered on the belief that Trump is fighting the "deep state," the Associated Press reported.
Why is Trump firing national security officials?
Dig deeper:
Laura Loomer met with President Donald Trump in an Oval Office meeting Wednesday, stating her case for Trump to get rid of staffers she didn't believe are devoted to his "Make America Great Again" agenda, several people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press Thursday.
According to the AP, the Presidential Personnel Office is working to remove at least three senior NSC officials and multiple lower-ranking aides.
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Trump’s plans to fire staff members come as national security adviser Mike Waltz fights back as some are calling for Waltz’s job after using the publicly encrypted Signal app to discuss planning for a March 15 military operation targeting Houthi militants in Yemen. Trump has said he stands by Waltz.
Jeffrey Goldberg, a journalist with The Atlantic magazine, was accidentally added to the chain and revealed that Trump’s team used it to discuss the timing of the operation and aircraft used to conduct the strikes.
Waltz took accountability for building the text chain but said he does not know how Goldberg was included.
A person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Associated Press said Loomer believes Waltz was too reliant in the process on neoconservatives within the Republican Party — as well as what she perceived as "not-MAGA-enough" types.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, who spoke with a person on a condition of anonymity about Laura Loomer’s meeting with President Donald Trump related to the potential firings. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.