Laura Loomer, the far-right provocateur and social media influencer known for her unfiltered commentary and close alignment with former President Donald Trump, has once again found herself at the center of controversy—this time under oath. Loomer’s recent deposition in her defamation lawsuit against HBO and comedian Bill Maher has shone a spotlight on the intersection of political rumor, personal attacks, and the limits of free speech in America’s polarized public square.
The lawsuit, filed by Loomer against HBO, stems from a September 2024 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, where Maher joked that Loomer was having an affair with Trump. According to Mediaite, Loomer alleges that Maher’s on-air quip, which echoed rumors swirling at the time, cost her a coveted job in Trump’s inner circle and the political influence she expected to gain from it. Loomer claims she was personally offered a position by Trump himself in March 2023 during a private meeting at Mar-a-Lago, with campaign strategist Susie Wiles present. “I was actually told that I was going to be working for President Trump when he hired me in his office in March of 2023 during a private meeting with him and Susie Wiles at Mar-a-Lago,” Loomer stated during the deposition. She went on to assert that she was promised a position multiple times, not just by Trump, but also by Wiles, including in 2024.
For Loomer, the lost opportunity was more than just a missed paycheck. She argued that a White House stint could have set her up for a lucrative media career, pointing to recent examples of administration officials like Jen Psaki and Karine Jean-Pierre landing television deals and book contracts. “There are people that go on who work for administrations who get to go work at boards. There’s people that get to have foundations. They get to go work in future administrations. They get to, you know, get paid for speaking engagements once they leave their official role with the federal government,” Loomer explained, according to Mediaite. “You don’t know. You know, there’s people that write books. They — there’s people that get to go become Fox News contributors. They become contributors on mainstream media. Look at — look at somebody like Jen Psaki or Karine Jean-Pierre, for example. You know, they both have shows. Karine Jean-Pierre just announced a book deal today. So when you work for an administration, once the person is out of office, or once you’re done with your job, you know, that could parlay into a lot of speculative opportunities.”
The deposition, conducted by HBO attorney Katherine Bolger, quickly veered into Loomer’s pattern of incendiary remarks about public figures. According to Metro Weekly, Bolger confronted Loomer with her 2024 social media posts speculating about the sexuality of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). In one post, Loomer wrote, “When is Lindsey coming out of the closet? We all you know you’re gay, Lindsey. And that’s OK. It’s 2024. There’s nothing wrong with gay people.” In another, she added, “There’s no reason why Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, needs to hide the fact that he’s a gay man. Come on, Lindsey. I like men too. No need to hide. I want you to relieve yourself of your toxic closeted anger. It’s 2024. Nobody needs to hide that they’re gay anymore.”
Pressed by Bolger about the basis for these claims, Loomer doubled down, saying, “I called him ‘gay.’ It’s well-known. Several of President Trump’s staff have told me in confidence that — that Lindsey Graham is gay.” Loomer further asserted that Republican insiders had told her they’d seen Graham bring male companions to dinners and noted, “I will say that he never denied being gay after I said that.” Bolger, however, tried to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand, but Loomer insisted on explaining her rationale. Graham, who has never married, has long been the subject of such rumors, including unsubstantiated claims by a gay adult film star in 2020. The senator has repeatedly denied being gay, but the speculation persists in some circles.
After snippets of her testimony were made public, Loomer took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend her statements: “I was asked about Lindsey during my deposition so I had to tell the truth. I was under oath.” The episode has reignited debate about the ethics and consequences of outing public figures, as well as the boundaries of protected speech in the digital age.
Loomer’s deposition also delved into her ongoing feud with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a fellow MAGA firebrand. Their spat began in September 2024 after Loomer posted on X that the White House would “smell like curry” if Kamala Harris defeated Trump—remarks Greene condemned as “appalling and extremely racist.” Loomer escalated the feud by mocking Greene’s infidelity and referencing “the Arby’s in your pants.” Bolger sought clarification during the deposition, asking Loomer to explain the meaning behind the phrase. Loomer responded, “Arby’s sells roast beef.” When pressed further, she elaborated, “It conveys the reason why she got a divorce by her own admission.” Bolger persisted, “Because she had roast beef in her pants? … You’re literally saying she put Arby’s in her pants?” Loomer replied, “I’m saying she literally put Arby’s in her pants. Yes.” She denied that the comment was sexual in nature, insisting it was simply “an expression.”
The deposition became even more heated when Bolger questioned Loomer about a tweet referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as having an “infested snatch.” Loomer refused to admit that the tweet referenced Harris’s vagina, leading to a tense exchange. Bolger pressed, “You wrote a tweet that says that Kamala Harris had an ‘infested snatch.’ Now, be the First Amendment warrior you claim to be and admit that you were saying that the vice president of the United States had an infested vagina. Admit it. Because that’s what you were doing, and everybody knows it.” Loomer pushed back, “This is coercion. You just told me to stop talking. I’m not going to talk. I’m not going to be coerced. You’re — you’re asking me to say something —” to which Bolger retorted, “God. You’re a coward.” Loomer responded, “I’m not a coward. I’m just not going to be —” and the exchange ended with Bolger accusing her of refusing to admit what she did.
The deposition, briefly made public before being sealed again, has provided a rare, unfiltered look into the rhetoric and personal grievances that animate the far-right ecosystem. For Loomer, the stakes are both personal and political: she claims Maher’s joke derailed her ascent within Trump’s orbit and cost her future opportunities, while her testimony has exposed the raw, sometimes ugly underbelly of online political discourse.
As the legal battle continues, the case raises thorny questions about the boundaries of satire, the reach of social media, and the ongoing culture wars roiling American politics. Whether Loomer’s claims will stand up in court remains to be seen, but her deposition has already made waves—both for what was said and for what it reveals about the current state of political combat in the United States.