Far-right activist Laura Loomer has derailed a critical intelligence briefing, a senior Democratic senator said.
Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Loomer’s intervention prompted Trump administration officials to cancel Friday’s oversight meeting that had been weeks in the making.
The Virginia senator, who was attacked online by Loomer, warned that caving to her pressure sets a dangerous precedent.
Warner had been scheduled to meet with personnel at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in Springfield, Virginia. But Loomer launched a series of posts on X accusing him of going after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by “calling him incompetent and even calling for him to be fired this year.”
The MAGA influencer branded Warner a “rabid Trump hater” and a “Russia Hoaxer” while urging officials to scrap the meeting. She also demanded the removal of NGA director Vice Adm. Trey Whitworth for scheduling the session.
Warner condemned the decision to block his visit, calling it a “nakedly political decision” that “undermines the dedicated, nonpartisan staff at NGA and threatens the principle of civilian oversight that protects our national security.”
“Members of Congress routinely conduct meetings and on-site engagements with federal employees in their states and districts; blocking and setting arbitrary conditions on these sessions sets a dangerous precedent, calling into question whether oversight is now allowed only when it pleases the far-right fringe,” the lawmaker said in a statement.
Loomer welcomed the cancellation and claimed credit. “Whitworth’s scheduled September 5th fireside love fest with anti-Trump Democrat Senator @MarkWarner Mark Warner has been CANCELED!” she wrote on X. “How can a Biden appointee and someone with such bad judgement that they would invite a rabid Trump hater and Russia Hoaxer like Mark Warner to speak at NGA be allowed to remain in their job, especially under the Trump administration?”
Warner accused the administration of caving to “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.”
“Let me be clear: I will never be deterred from carrying out my constitutional responsibilities,” Warner added.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Loomer has previously drawn headlines for reportedly influencing personnel moves within the Trump administration. In April, reports linked her to the firing of top National Security Council officials she deemed disloyal. Trump denied that Loomer played any role “at all” in those dismissals.
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