The ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee says the Trump administration is undermining national security by taking marching orders from right-wing political influencer Laura Loomer.
Sen. Mark Warner, of Virginia, blamed Ms. Loomer for torpedoing an upcoming listening session he had scheduled with intelligence officials at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in his state.
“Over the weekend, conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer discovered the unpublicized, classified visit and launched a campaign of baseless attacks against both me and NGA Director Vice Admiral Trey Whitworth for hosting what has always been considered a routine oversight meeting,” Mr. Warner said in a statement. “In response to Loomer’s criticism, political appointees canceled the visit, just the latest example of an administration seemingly desperate to please Loomer, a figure with a long history of extreme and outlandish fringe views, including 9/11 denialism, anti-Muslim harassment campaigns, and associations with white supremacists.”
Indeed, the meeting was canceled after Ms. Loomer announced on X that Mr. Whitworth was hosting “Russia Hoaxer Senator Mark Warner” for a fireside chat.
“Why are the Pentagon and IC allowing for the Director of an Intel agency to host a rabid ANTI-TRUMP DEMOCRAT SENATOR at NGA under the Trump administration?” Ms. Loomer wrote in a post in which she tagged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. “Clearly, a lot of Deep State actors are being given a pass in the Intel community to continue their efforts to sabotage Trump under the Trump admin.”
Mr. Warner said the “nakedly political decision” to cancel the meeting undermines national security.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency analyzes satellite imagery and provides targeting data to U.S. troops.
Ms. Loomer, a failed congressional candidate in Florida who previously worked for the conservative group Project Veritas, has developed a reputation for frustrating elected leaders on both sides of the political aisle, including officials in the Trump administration.
She recently got into an online spat with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene after accusing the Georgia Republican and Trump loyalist of putting her daughter on her payroll and rehashing allegations that she had extramarital affairs.
Ms. Greene hit back at Ms. Loomer, saying she has a history of targeting MAGA fans by spreading lies and manipulated attacks.
“She is like an attack dog,” Ms. Greene said on Real America’s Voice last month. “These are not the kind of people that should have the president’s ear — they are dangerous.”
Like Ms. Greene, Ms. Loomer has had Mr. Trump’s ear and carved out a niche in the MAGA universe.
From that perch, she has been credited with targeting and helping weed out anti-Trumpers in the federal government.
“So many scalps this week! Stacking them up!” Ms. Loomer said last month.
Meanwhile, Mr. Warner on Wednesday followed up his statement with a fundraising email in which he said he’s “livid” that the “Trump administration is taking its marching orders from a fringe conspiracy theorists.”
“I can’t overstate how unprecedented and dangerous this is,” he said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.