“Dangerous precedent”: Top Democrat says extremist Laura Loomer canceled his spy agency briefing

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, says right-wing activist Laura Loomer derailed a classified oversight meeting with one of the country’s top spy agencies

Warner was slated to visit the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) on Friday for what he described as a routine, unpublicized briefing that had been scheduled weeks in advance. But the meeting was abruptly called off after Loomer launched a barrage of social media posts attacking Warner and NGA Director Vice Adm. Trey Whitworth.

In a series of social media posts, Loomer branded Warner a “rabid Trump hater” and accused him of undermining Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a close Trump ally. She implied that Whitworth should be fired for agreeing to host the senator and celebrated when the visit was canceled: “Whitworth’s scheduled September 5th fireside love fest with anti-Trump Democrat Senator @MarkWarner Mark Warner has been CANCELED!”

Warner warns that such an intervention could threaten congressional oversight of U.S. intelligence.

In a sharply worded statement, Warner blasted what he called “a nakedly political decision” that “undermines the dedicated, nonpartisan staff at NGA and threatens the principle of civilian oversight that protects our national security.” He warned that blocking lawmakers from meeting with federal officials “sets a dangerous precedent, calling into question whether oversight is now allowed only when it pleases the far-right fringe.”

The senator pointed out that members of Congress from both parties routinely tour intelligence facilities and meet with personnel. “If routine oversight can be obstructed for political reasons, no member of Congress is immune,” he said.

Warner also accused the Trump 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.”

Loomer, a MAGA influencer, has a track record of outsized power over White House decision-making, particularly as it relates to personnel. Earlier this year, she appeared to claim credit for the ouster of officials at the National Security Council following a meeting with Trump. When national security adviser Mike Waltz was removed from his post shortly thereafter, Loomer sent a text simply reading “Loomered,” to Politico, a wording she repeated while celebrating the cancellation of Warner’s meeting.

Late last month, in response to reports that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had included the name of an undercover officer in a list of 37 who were losing their security clearances, Warner asked on X “Is Tulsi Gabbard still the DNI or is that Laura Loomer’s job now?”

Warner, for his part, vowed not to be deterred: “Let me be clear: I will never be deterred from carrying out my constitutional responsibilities.”