Depending on who you ask, Laura Loomer is a far-right conspiracy theorist and extremist who holds the ear of President Donald Trump. To others, however, and to Loomer herself, she hails herself as a brave “investigative journalist” breaking her back for the good of the White House. 

“I view myself as an extra set of eyes, like a watchdog, for the administration to help them so they don’t get totally screwed,” she told the Telegraph in an interview published Wednesday.

Even her friends, she told the outlet, refer to her as Trump’s Rasputin—referencing an age-old mystic who similarly held the affection of a Russian leader, having sway at the time until he was later assassinated.

And sway, she definitely has. In July, the failed Republican candidate who has turned into an online squawkbox played a role in the firing of a top lawyer at the National Security Agency. According to Loomer and an article at far-right, Ben Shapiro-owned Daily Wire, April Falcon Doss was a plant by the Biden administration to undermine Trump. After Loomer spread the story online and then met with her unofficial boss in the Oval Office, Doss was fired the next day. 

The social media sensationalist even claimed she’s been advising the Pentagon’s own Pete Hegseth, according to reporting by CNN. And with Hegseth in hot water recently for allegedly firing men for leaking information when they were innocent all along, associating with Loomer is an interesting choice. Loomer has taken credit for the ouster of former national security adviser Mike Waltz who was involved with Signalgate, a security breach by high-ranking Trump administration officials, including Hegseth, to discuss sensitive military plans.  

Then again, Hegseth’s spokesperson told the outlet that he “appreciates” Loomer’s “outside advocacy.”

Of course, all of this fits the narrative. Loomer has been a shadow in the White House hallways and on Trump’s campaign trail for quite some time. 

From holding meetings with Vice President JD Vance to gloating over various other firings or resignations that she has something to do with—which appears to tally to at least 15—Loomer’s “Loomered” tagline has merit. And that doesn’t include nominations that Trump has rescinded due to her advice or details Loomer deems unnecessary and Trump approves, like Hunter Biden’s Secret Service detail pull.

And yet, even when she disagreed with him and publicly criticized him, as she did when he accepted a $400 million Boeing jet from the Qatari government, she has kept his ear.

For Trump himself, however, he hails Loomer as a tried-and-true patriot. “I know she’s known as a ‘radical right,’ but I think Laura Loomer is a very nice person,” Trump said to reporters Sunday. “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.”

And with Trump’s favor, the self-identified journalist may be sticking around the White House for a little while longer.