Trump Defends Ties With 9/11 Truther Laura Loomer

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stood up Friday on behalf of a high-profile supporter who has drawn fire from other Republicans for embracing conspiracy theories and making racist comments.

Conservative personality Laura Loomer accompanied Trump on Wednesday to a ceremony at Ground Zero in New York to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, which killed almost 3,000 people.

Two days later, Loomer posted on social media, along with a clip of TV coverage of 9/11: “The American people deserve to know the entire truth. Not just what our lying government chose to tell us.”

She then reposted that message with another one, “Do NOT google Building 7,” a reference to a conspiracy theory that a building next to the World Trade Center towers that caught fire in the attack and collapsed was instead brought down by unexplained factors.

Asked about Loomer, Trump told reporters at a press conference in Los Angeles on Friday, “Laura’s been a supporter of mine, just like a lot of people are supporters.”

“I don’t control Laura. Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a free spirit,” Trump said.

Loomer’s newly ascendant public profile has caused concern among some of Trump’s Republican colleagues, who have publicly worried her reputation for spreading falsehoods will reflect badly on the former president.

“Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans. A DNC plant couldn’t do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump’s chances of winning re-election. Enough,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) posted Friday.

Even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), the right-wing firebrand who once pondered on Facebook if wildfires were being caused by lasers in space, took aim at Loomer. Greene criticized Loomer Wednesday for saying that if Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Black and South Asian heritage, won the presidential election in November, “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center.”

“This is appalling and extremely racist. It does not represent who we are as Republicans or MAGA. This does not represent President Trump,” Greene posted, touching off an online exchange of personal insults between the two.

Trump claimed he did not know about Loomer’s controversial statements, even though they’ve been widely reported on in recent days.

“I’d have to see what the remarks are,” Trump said. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I do know that she may have said something, based on what you’re telling me, but I don’t know what she said. But I’ll go take a look and put out a statement later on.”

At his press conference, Trump also threatened to send undocumented immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which has seen an influx of legal immigrants from strife-torn Haiti in recent years, to the South American country of Venezuela, where many asylum seekers in the U.S. are from.

“We’re going to get these people out. We’re bringing them back to Venezuela,” Trump said.

Trump came under fire at Tuesday’s debate for saying Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating residents’ cats, dogs and other pets, something local authorities have said is not happening.

In a statement, James Singer, spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said Trump continued to melt down in “a rambling, defensive, often incoherent event to promote his golf course.”