Far-right pro-Trump influencer Laura Loomer doubled down on salacious claims about Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) when pressed during a deposition, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday.
Loomer, a self-described "Proud Islamophobe" and 9/11 truther who has failed in multiple bids for Congress, is extremely close to President Donald Trump, to the point that her rants against the perceived disloyalty of various administration figures has gotten them removed from the White House and been weaponized by various Trump officials trying to knock out their own rivals.
It's that closeness that spawned the controversy at the heart of the lawsuit Loomer has filed against HBO, as "Real Time" host Bill Maher suggested last summer that she is sleeping with Trump. Loomer denies these allegations and maintains in the suit that the rumor has hurt her career and reputation.
During the deposition for her suit, Loomer was grilled on a number of inflammatory things she has claimed on X, including derogatory anatomical comments about former Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) — and in particular, her prior claims that Graham is a closeted gay man.
The rumor, which Graham denies, has existed for years, with the term "#LadyGraham" going viral in 2020 as people revisited the issue. But Loomer has promoted them enthusiastically, posting at one point, “When is Lindsey coming out of the closet? We all you know you’re gay, Lindsey. And that’s OK. It’s OK. It’s 2024. There’s nothing wrong with gay people.”
Confronted with her own habit of spreading unconfirmed rumors just as Bill Maher has done, Loomer doubled down — insisting not only was it true, but she actually had inside sources confirming it.
“It’s well-known,” she said, “Several of President Trump’s staff have told me in confidence that — that Lindsey Graham is gay.”
