Right-wing conspiracy theorist and failed politician Laura Loomer launched a despicable attack on Democratic Senator Mark Kelly and his wife, gun violence survivor and former Representative Gabby Giffords, on X earlier this week.
Loomer, without evidence, cruelly accused Kelly of writing a post on his wife’s behalf from her account endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president, claiming that Giffords—who was shot in the head in an assassination attempt 13 years ago—is “brain dead” and “certainly isn’t tweeting on her own.”
This wouldn’t matter much, as Loomer has engaged in white nationalism and Islamophobia before, but she is also a favorite of Donald Trump Jr., who has touted Loomer as a possible White House press secretary if his father gets elected in November. Trump Jr.’s opinion seems to carry some weight in his father’s political decisions. He reportedly pushed his dad to choose J.D. Vance, who’s friends with Don Jr., for a running mate.
Giffords was shot while holding a campaign event in Tucson, Arizona, in 2011. The bullet passed through her brain, and yet today, though she has some difficulty speaking and walking, she is able to conduct interviews. She even campaigned for Harris in Pennsylvania on Thursday. Needless to say, she is not “brain dead.”
Loomer has been banned from various social media sites in the past, only to be reinstated on X when Elon Musk took over the site. She’s not likely to face any consequences for this post, although it probably won’t help her standing in the Republican Party, where even some of the MAGA faithful aren’t big fans.
