Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Laura Loomer

Public opinion and media debates around Laura Loomer—discover key moments of controversy.

Laura Loomer is an American far-right political activist, conspiracy theorist, and internet personality. She gained notoriety for her controversial views and activities online, often involving anti-Muslim rhetoric and conspiracy theories. Loomer has unsuccessfully run for political office, including for Florida's 21st congressional district in 2020 and Florida's 11th congressional district in 2022.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

March 2015: Loomer Records Conversations with Barry University Officials

In March 2015, Laura Loomer secretly recorded conversations with Barry University officials regarding the idea of starting a club called "Sympathetic Students in Support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria". The video was released by James O'Keefe of Project Veritas. Loomer was later suspended by the university, and a professor filed criminal charges against her.

July 2015: Loomer Attempts to Entrap Clinton Campaign Workers

In July 2015, Laura Loomer and two other women, posing as Hillary Clinton supporters, reportedly attempted to "entrap" campaign workers into accepting illegal cash donations.

November 8, 2016: Loomer Dressed in Burqa at Polling Station

On November 8, 2016, the day of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Laura Loomer, as part of a Project Veritas stunt, went to a polling station dressed in a burqa and asked for a ballot under the name of Huma Abedin.

February 2017: Medium bans Laura Loomer

In February 2017, blogging platform Medium banned Laura Loomer after expanding its platform policies to ban posting disinformation and hate speech.

June 10, 2017: Loomer Addresses Anti-Sharia Marchers and Drapes Burqa on Fearless Girl Statue

On June 10, 2017, Laura Loomer gave a speech to "anti-Sharia" marchers in New York City and condemned "liberals who aligned themselves with Sharia law". She also placed a burqa on the Fearless Girl statue.

June 16, 2017: Loomer Disrupts Shakespeare in the Park Performance

On June 16, 2017, Laura Loomer disrupted a Shakespeare in the Park performance of Julius Caesar in New York City. She walked on stage and shouted about violence against Donald Trump. She was arrested for disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing.

November 1, 2017: Loomer's Anti-Muslim Tweets

On November 1, 2017, Loomer tweeted about being late to a conference because she couldn't find a "non Muslim cab or @Uber @lyft driver" after a terrorist attack in New York City. She also called for a ride-sharing company without Muslim employees and blamed all Muslims for radical Islamist activities.

November 2017: Uber and Lyft ban Laura Loomer

In November 2017, Loomer was banned from both Uber and Lyft after a day-long anti-Muslim tweetstorm, which included tweets about not being able to find a "non Muslim cab or @Uber @lyft driver".

2017: Loomer Falsely Claims Las Vegas Shooter Affiliated with ISIS

In 2017, Laura Loomer falsely claimed that the perpetrator of the Las Vegas shootings was affiliated with ISIS.

2017: Loomer's Relationship with Tim Gionet

In 2017, Loomer claimed to be dating alt-right activist Tim Gionet, who had tweeted a photoshopped picture of her being executed inside a gas chamber. Gionet denied that they were dating.

2017: Loomer Participates in Anti-Sharia Event

In 2017, Loomer participated in an "anti-sharia" event where the neo-Nazi group Identity Evropa was present, stating there was nothing wrong with preserving white European culture.

February 2018: Loomer Falsely Claims Parkland Shooting Was Staged

In February 2018, Laura Loomer falsely claimed that the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, was staged.

March 2018: Loomer Harasses Noor Salman's Family

In March 2018, Loomer used press credentials to attend the trial of Noor Salman and harassed Salman's family. Her credentials were revoked, and she was removed by a U.S. Marshal when she returned the next day.

April 2018: Loomer Disrupts James Comey's Book Event

In April 2018, Loomer disrupted an event promoting James Comey's book "A Higher Loyalty" before being removed from the building by security.

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May 2018: Loomer Falsely Claims Santa Fe Shooting Was Staged

In May 2018, Laura Loomer falsely claimed that the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, was staged and that crisis actors were used.

July 2018: Loomer Misidentifies Arrested Man as Antifa Terrorist

In July 2018, Laura Loomer falsely stated that a man arrested in South Dakota with bomb-making equipment and illegal weapons was a "leftist antifa terrorist", despite evidence to the contrary.

August 2018: Loomer Disrupts Ilhan Omar Campaign Event

In August 2018, Laura Loomer disrupted a congressional campaign event for Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar, which Rashida Tlaib attended. Loomer shouted questions implying Tlaib was antisemitic.

August 2018: Loomer Accosts Omar at Campaign Event

In August 2018, Loomer accosted Ilhan Omar with unsubstantiated allegations at her campaign event, which was also attended by Rashida Tlaib.

September 2018: Loomer Interrupts House Hearing

In September 2018, Loomer interrupted a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, accusing Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey of censoring conservatives and attempting to influence elections. She was escorted out after Republican representative Billy Long mocked her.

October 2018: Loomer Falsely Claims Mail Bombing Attempts Were a False Flag Operation

During the October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts, Laura Loomer falsely claimed that the attacks were a "false flag" operation orchestrated by Democrats.

October 2018: Loomer Escorted from Gillum Campaign Event

In October 2018, police escorted Loomer from a campaign event for Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for governor of Florida.

November 2018: Twitter bans Laura Loomer

In November 2018, Twitter banned Laura Loomer for violating its policies against hateful conduct. After the ban, she handcuffed herself to Twitter's headquarters in New York for two hours before police cut through the handcuffs at her request.

2018: Loomer Sues CAIR

In 2018, after Twitter banned Loomer, she and her company Illoominate Media sued the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), claiming it conspired with Twitter to ban her.

2018: Loomer Sues Social Media Companies

In 2018, after being banned by various social media companies, Loomer, represented by Larry Klayman, sued Twitter, Apple, Facebook, and Google, alleging suppression of conservative speech. The case was dismissed by the district court.

January 14, 2019: Loomer Protests at Nancy Pelosi's Home

On January 14, 2019, Laura Loomer convinced several men to jump the fence with her at Nancy Pelosi's Napa, California, home to protest immigration. They set up a tent on Pelosi's lawn before being removed by police.

January 30, 2019: Loomer Protests at California Governor's Mansion

On January 30, 2019, Laura Loomer and others jumped the wall surrounding the California Governor's Mansion in Sacramento, protesting Governor Gavin Newsom's stance on immigration. They were arrested, given citations, and released within a few hours. Later that day, the group provoked a confrontation outside a Mexican restaurant, live-streaming the event.

February 2019: PayPal, GoFundMe, and Venmo ban Laura Loomer

In February 2019, Loomer was banned from PayPal, GoFundMe, and Venmo. In response, she said that "left wing terrorists and tech tyrants" were "trying to shut [her] down" and that she would "stop at nothing to make sure justice is served for the way Silicon Valley has disenfranchised me, falsely accusing me of being a white supremacist, a Nazi, anti-Muslim, a racist, a bigot, and every other smear in the book."

February 2019: Loomer "Investigates" Ilhan Omar

In February 2019, Loomer, along with Jacob Wohl and Ali Alexander, traveled to Minnesota to "investigate" whether Ilhan Omar had married her brother for citizenship, a baseless rumor.

February 2019: Loomer's Donations Go to Anti-Muslim Group; PayPal Bans Loomer

In February 2019, Right Wing Watch reported that donations solicited by Loomer were going to The United West, an anti-Muslim hate group. PayPal subsequently banned Loomer from their service.

March 2019: Loomer Ejected from CPAC

In March 2019, Jacob Wohl and Laura Loomer were ejected from the 2019 CPAC when they attempted to present unsubstantiated evidence from their trip to Minnesota regarding Ilhan Omar.

2019: Loomer Sues Rashida Tlaib

In 2019, Loomer filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, alleging that Tlaib "violently grabbed" Loomer's cellphone during the disruption of an August 2018 campaign event.

2019: Loomer Banned from CPAC

In 2019, Loomer was banned from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) after aggressively confronting reporters and heckling CNN reporter Oliver Darcy about internet censorship.

2019: Loomer Responds to Christchurch Attack

In 2019, following the white supremacist terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, Loomer wrote, "Nobody cares about Christchurch. I especially don't."

December 2020: Loomer Downplays COVID-19

In December 2020, Loomer downplayed the severity of COVID-19, saying she hoped she would get it to prove it was less serious than food poisoning.

2020: Loomer Loses Appeal Against CAIR

In 2020, Loomer lost an appeal in her case against CAIR. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that Loomer offered only "vague speculation" of CAIR's involvement in the alleged conspiracy.

May 2021: Loomer Banned From Clubhouse

In May 2021, Loomer reported that she was banned from the social media app Clubhouse hours after joining the platform.

May 2021: Loomer shares a 2021 video as recent

On October 12, Laura Loomer shared a video from May 2021 of a "pro-Hamas caravan" that had driven through London shouting racist abuse, implying the incident was recent. The video was in fact from May 2021 and police had made arrests after the incident.

2021: Loomer Confronts Dorsey at Bitcoin Conference

In 2021, Loomer confronted Jack Dorsey at the Bitcoin 2021 conference, accusing him of censorship and election interference, and was removed from the event.

2021: Loomer Ordered to Reimburse CAIR's Attorney Fees

In 2021, a U.S. magistrate judge ordered Loomer to reimburse more than $120,000 in attorney's fees to CAIR in relation to the failed lawsuit.

2021: Supreme Court Denies Loomer's Petition

In 2021, the Supreme Court denied Loomer's petition to hear her case against social media companies, upholding the dismissal of her lawsuit.

August 23, 2022: Loomer Loses Primary Election and Refuses to Concede

On August 23, 2022, Laura Loomer lost the primary election for Florida's 11th district to Daniel Webster, receiving 44.2% of the vote. She refused to concede, alleging voter fraud and "big-tech election interference".

2022: Loomer Sues Facebook and Twitter Again

In 2022, Loomer again sued Facebook and Twitter, alleging their anti-hate speech policies constitute racketeering. The suit was dismissed based on res judicata and Section 230.

2022: Loomer Speaks at American Renaissance Conference

In 2022, Loomer spoke at the annual conference of white supremacist publication American Renaissance, referring to herself as a "white advocate" and calling for a ten-year moratorium on immigration.

October 13, 2023: Loomer Amplifies False 'Day of Jihad' Story

Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Laura Loomer amplified a false story claiming that October 13, 2023, was to be a global "day of jihad", a story that motivated a 71-year-old landlord in Illinois to allegedly attempt to murder a Muslim tenant and stab to death her 6-year-old son.

November 2023: Loomer's Misinformation Analyzed in Atlantic Council Study

In November 2023, Laura Loomer was part of an Atlantic Council study, analyzed by Bloomberg, regarding misinformation in the Israel–Hamas war. She shared a video from May 2021, falsely implying it was recent, and tweeted false information about the 2023 Rainbow Bridge explosion.