MAGA trio’s new probe into journalist gets blistering response: ‘Desperate to silence me’

A trio of MAGA lawmakers have officially requested that the Trump administration investigate a prominent journalist as a dangerous “traitor” to the United States, and the journalist in question hit back with a fierce response.

First revealed by far-right influencer Laura Loomer and later confirmed by the Daily Wire, Reps. Randy Fine (R-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX) and Keith Self (R-TX) submitted a letter addressed to both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Todd Blanche asking them to investigate The Grayzone founder and editor Max Blumenthal over his reporting on Iran.

Blumenthal has written for a number of mainstream outlets throughout his lengthy career, including The New York Times and The Daily Beast, and is a frequent and vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy. In July, Blumenthal was in Iran to cover funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the chief complaint of the trio of GOP lawmakers.

“Max Blumenthal is a radical leftist who hides under the veil of ‘journalism’ to relay propaganda and misinformation that benefits America’s enemies,” the letter reads.

“Blumenthal’s lengthy track record of supporting enemy propaganda, and his recent participation in Ali Khamenei's funeral, shows that he sympathizes with America's enemies and is a threat to the United States national security. I urge you to use your offices to promptly investigate Max Blumenthal to ensure the American public is safe from this traitor.”

The new probe comes shortly after Blumenthal filed a lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin after Blumenthal’s phones were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in July.

In a fiery statement shared on social media, Blumenthal argued the probe to be “retaliation” for his lawsuit against the Trump administration, and further alleged that Loomer played an outsized role in the probe being launched.

“Loomer and a trio of Israel First backbenchers have responded by escalating their attack on my First Amendment rights. It’s a desperate bid to silence me and The Grayzone — not for breaking any laws, but for journalism which exposes wanton corruption and war crimes,” Blumenthal wrote Saturday.

“The letter also contains blatantly false, libelous statements. For instance, its authors claim I was ‘cultivated by an agent of influence by a [Foreign Terrorist Organization] and current military adversary.’ This is textbook defamation, and I don’t think it’s protected by congressional immunity.”