Laura Loomer Gets Pentagon Press Credentials — Despite Her Recent Attacks on Hegseth

AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey.

Laura Loomer is the newest member of the Pentagon press corps, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The 32-year-old far-right activist, conspiracy theorist, and self-proclaimed “proud Islamaphobe” has been a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, at times clashing vociferously with others in the president’s inner circle.

In a series of social media posts last month, Loomer took several swipes at Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, apparently furious over the approval of a training facility for Qatari air force pilots in Idaho, saying that she was so incensed over the decision to give “terror financing Muslims from Qatar a MILITARY BASE on US soil so they can murder Americans” that she planned to sit out the 2026 midterm elections.

The digital bombs she lobbed at Hegseth didn’t keep her from getting a Pentagon press pass, according to the Post’s Scott Nover and Drew Harwell, who reported Monday that Loomer was the latest reporter to be credentialed by the Defense Department.

Citing a “person familiar with the matter,” the Post reported that Loomer was “joining a new cohort of right-wing media that have agreed to the Pentagon’s new press policy.”

The majority of the Pentagon Press Corps turned in their badges in October rather than comply with a new DOD policy that was loudly criticized by both the left and right as a threat to the freedom of the press. Those that remained are MAGA-allied media outlets, along with several foreign outlets.

Loomer previously applied for a White House press pass, voicing frustration when she wasn’t granted one despite her repeated requests and other MAGA influencers with fewer followers getting credentialed.

It’s not clear what made the difference with the Pentagon press pass versus the White House press pass that had eluded her grasp before; if anything, Loomer has been more critical of Hegseth and other DOD officials in recent months.

UPDATE 11:15 pm ET: Late Monday evening, Loomer tweeted confirmation that she had indeed joined the Pentagon Press Corps.

Wrote Loomer:

I’m excited to announce that after a year of breaking the most impactful stories that pertain to our nation’s national security and rooting out deceptive and disloyal bad actors from the Department of War, I have joined the Pentagon Press Corps!

LOOMERED is now a credentialed outlet at the Pentagon.

There is no denying that my investigative reporting has had a massive impact on the landscape of personnel decisions within the Executive Branch, our intelligence agencies and the Pentagon.

I look forward to covering the Pentagon and breaking more stories that impact our country and our national security.

I have developed a Rolodex of sources and if you have any tips, feel free to contact the Loomered Tip Line: the most influential Tip Line in all of DC.