Laura Loomer credentialed to be part of Pentagon’s new press corps. What to know

Laura Loomer has been credentialed to cover the Defense Department, and her addition to the Pentagon’s press corps comes after an overhaul of media policies.

Laura Loomer has been credentialed to cover the Defense Department, a person familiar with the matter has revealed, as reported by The Washington Post. The 32-year-old far-right political activist and former congressional candidate in Florida is a close Trump ally, often meeting the US President in the Oval Office during his second term. Some in the administration are reportedly unhappy with her proximity to Donald Trump and her public criticisms of high-ranking defense and national security officials who she has accused of being disloyal to the president.

Laura Loomer credentialed to be part of Pentagon’s new press corps (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)(AP)

Loomer’s addition to the Pentagon’s press corps came after the department’s overhaul of its media policies. Last month, several journalists covering the Pentagon walked out of the building en masse to revolt against a new department press policy that prohibited them from soliciting any information that is not made available by the government.

Several news outlets refused to sign the policy, including The Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN and Fox News. The outlets argued that the policy is a threat to press freedom. Right-wing cable network One America News, however, agreed to sign.

Last month, the Pentagon introduced a new press corps, made up mostly of far-right media publications like the Gateway Pundit, the Post Millennial, and LindellTV, as well as some independent journalists and online influencers. These publications, which have signed or have agreed to sign the agreement, have not covered the Pentagon in person on a regular basis in the past.

Laura Loomer advocated for the firings of several Trump officials

Loomer has often taken to social media to advocate for the firings of several Trump officials. In April, Gen. Timothy Haugh was ousted as director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command. This happened shortly after Loomer reportedly advocated his dismissal in an Oval Office meeting.

“NSA Director Tim Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble have been disloyal to President Trump,” Loomer said in a post on X. “That is why they have been fired.”

In fact, Loomer has also said that Trump’s firing of national security adviser Michael Waltz and several members of his staff in April can be attributed to a “swift response to [her] report.” Waltz was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in September.

Loomer has not spared the Pentagon either, having previously railed against Col. Earl G. Matthews, then nominated to serve as the Defense Department’s general counsel. More recently, she has railed against Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

Trump previously praised Loomer as a “patriot.” “I know she’s known as a ‘radical right,’ but I think Laura Loomer is a very nice person,” Trump told reporters in August. “… I think she’s a patriot, and she gets excited because of the fact she’s a patriot, and she doesn’t like things going on that she thinks are bad for the country. I like her.”