Perhaps the biggest surprise of this pivot was former President Donald Trump’s firing of six national security aides. This decision followed an almost unprecedented meeting with far-right activist and antisemite Laura Loomer. Loomer brought negative campaign research to the Oval Office. She said the leak showed a lack of loyalty from many of the policy makers on the National Security Council (NSC). This unusual incident has put a spotlight on the undue political outsiders have over the Trump administration.
Loomer, a self-described “Alt-Right” activist, gained notoriety for her Islamophobic views and her unwavering support for Trump. Publicly, she has lambasted Waltz and his staff as members of a public coalition. At the time, greater American foreign policy became virtue signaling as well. She called out Waltz and his crew as “neocons” during the meeting. Loomer then produced a dossier full of accusations of treason on approximately a dozen NSC employees. In her statement, she claimed that these claims warranted their removal.
The evidence Loomer provided was convincing enough that in fact it allegedly won the day within the White House. Sources familiar with the situation told us that her allegations against the NSC staffers were confirmed by White House officials. As one of those staffers recently lamented Trump’s Cancellation Theater on social media. All the while, more were still building ties to members of the Republican establishment.
Loomer’s star power on this one seemed to eclipse that of national security adviser Mike Waltz. According to news reports, she even managed to convince Trump to sign something. Second, she undermined Waltz’s authority by inserting herself into the decision-making process as an undue influence on personnel changes. Loomer’s ability to have aides removed from their positions under Waltz’s purview has sparked discussions about her role in shaping national security policy.
Loomer has recently escalated this firestorm by going after Alex Wong, another official on the NSC. Instead, she argues that Wong has dangerous sympathies for the Chinese Communist Party. Her allegations soon grew through the roof. She even implied that Wong intentionally put Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, on a vulnerable CC list in an official communication to the Trump administration to make China look good.
“as part of a foreign opp to embarrass the Trump administration on behalf of China” – Laura Loomer
Loomer’s criticisms are not only extreme, but incendiary and libelous. She can’t get her White House access as a journalist. She does not have a “hard pass,” a much-resented access that has been the area of an acute grievance she has vented in recent weeks. Still, her repeated appearance at high-dollar roundtables and meeting with Trump himself indicate a much greater acceptance and possible influence in the administration.
After this meeting with Loomer, the political class’s collective eyebrows were raised at these six NSC officials’ subsequent dismissals. Many are questioning how an activist with no formal position in government could wield such power over national security decisions. This incident will have long-term implications that reach far beyond replacing a dozen personnel. It could shape the ways loyalty and alignment are judged in Trump’s inner circle.