Trump ally Laura Loomer accused of taking $60K for political tweets: Report

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump ally and right-wing activist Laura Loomer allegedly received more than $60,000 in payments for political posts on X (formerly Twitter) without publicly disclosing the arrangements, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, November 7, citing a former Trump campaign adviser and three other people familiar with the transactions. 

Financial documents reviewed by the outlet show that four payments have been made to Loomer and a Florida-based company registered in her name since May last year. Loomer has, however, denied being paid to post political messages, disputing the accounts of those who said they had arranged or overseen the payments.

Individuals claim they had paid Laura Loomer directly to publish political messages on her X account

The allegations were made by Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, and three other people familiar with the arrangements. Two of the three individuals said they had paid Loomer directly to publish political messages on her X account, which has 1.9 million followers. The third said that they had overseen clients who paid her for posts.

Bank transaction emails and a wire transfer statement reviewed by the outlet cite four payments totalling more than $60,000 sent to Loomer and King Breaker Media, a Florida-based company registered in her name. According to the report, the documents, however, do not specify the purpose of the payments, but two people familiar with the arrangements said they were for political posts.

Bruesewitz said he had paid Loomer last year through his political consulting firm, X Strategies, for posts related to policy issues. He declined to identify the clients involved. He also said the practice needed clearer disclosure requirements, arguing that it had "gotten out of hand."

However, Loomer has disputed his account, saying Bruesewitz's firm had approached her to prepare a research document and distribute its findings. "He paid me to make a one-page research document for him, and then he wanted me to distribute the information. And that’s what I did," Loomer told the outlet.

When asked whether she charged for individual tweets, Loomer said she did not have fixed rates for consulting work. "I certainly don’t charge $5,000 for a tweet. I’m not some influencer that makes money from tweeting. My business is public affairs and opposition research," she said. "I also have a media company. It’s not illegal to make a living in America."

Two people familiar with the arrangements also said that Loomer charged between $3,000 and $5,000 per post, and sometimes more.

Laura Loomer's access to Trump raises questions over political influencer disclosures

Loomer, 33, has travelled with Trump and held private meetings with him in the Oval Office during his second term. The presdient has previously described her as a "very nice person" and a "patriot". He also acknowledged last year that Loomer had made recommendations about dismissals on the National Security Council staff, although he denied that she was responsible for the firings.

Jared Holt, a senior researcher at Open Measures who studies the far right, told the outlet that Loomer's access to the president added to her influence. “This is somebody that has a tremendous amount of influence and access to the president’s ear,” Holt said.