Hard-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer has been travelling alongside the former president of the United States Donald Trump, who is running again for presidency.
HDN Newsroom
Even Republicans have raised questions about the influence the controversial former congressional candidate may have on former president Trump.
Ms Loomer is well-known for her anti-Muslim rhetoric and for spreading conspiracy theories, including that the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job" carried out by the US government.
She joined Trump at an event on Wednesday commemorating the attacks, raising eyebrows and prompting outrage in some US media outlets.
And on Tuesday, the 31-year-old travelled to Philadelphia on board Trump's plane for the presidential debate in the city.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of that debate came when Trump repeated a baseless claim that illegal immigrants from Haiti have been eating domestic pets in a small Ohio city. "They are eating the pets of the people that live there," he said.
City officials later told BBC Verify that there have been “no credible reports" this has actually happened.
Trump said he was repeating claims he had heard on television, but the theory was aired by Ms Loomer just a day before the debate. On Monday, the fringe pundit and social media influencer repeated the claims to her 1.2m followers on X.
While the level of access Ms Loomer has to Trump is unclear, and his running mate JD Vance has also spread the baseless theory, Ms Loomer's post and her presence in Philadelphia has led some Republicans to blame her for the former president making the unfounded claim on stage.
An anonymous source close to the Trump campaign told US news outlet Semafor that they were "100%" concerned about Ms Loomer's proximity to Trump.
A number of senior Republican politicians have also publicly criticised Ms Loomer and cautioned against Trump bringing her into his inner circle.
"Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans," North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
It's yet to be seen what's Ms Laura Loomer's role alongside the former and now candidate President of the U.S.
