Far-right political activist and close confidant to President Donald Trump Laura Loomer launched an unusual public attack on Army Secretary Dan Driscoll after the service marked the anniversary of a Medal of Honor recipient's heroism.
Loomer criticized a post Friday on X in which the Army commemorated retired Capt. Florent Groberg's actions in Afghanistan, which earned him the Medal of Honor a decade ago.
In a series of posts, Loomer questioned whether Groberg deserved the recognition, citing his brief remarks at the 2016 Democratic National Convention after his retirement and the fact that he was born in France.
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"There are probably so many people who the Army could honor who have received the Medal of Honor," Loomer, who has unofficially advised Trump, traveling with the president and visiting the White House routinely but not holding a job in the administration, wrote in her post on X. "But who did the Army choose to honor instead on their social media page under the Trump admin?"
Groberg tackled a suicide bomber during a 2012 mission, an act credited with saving numerous lives, including Gen. James Mingus, now the vice chief of staff of the Army, who was Groberg's brigade commander at the time. Mingus was among the troops targeted by the bomber. The bomber's vest detonated, wounding Groberg and causing severe damage to one of his legs and a traumatic brain injury. He required 33 surgeries across three years of care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Griffin, 46; Army Maj. Thomas Kennedy, 35; Air Force Maj. Walter Gray, 38, and USAID official Ragaei Abdelfattah, 43, were killed, and several others were wounded.
"It was disgraceful," one defense official said of Loomer's statement.
Loomer's criticism of National Security Administration officials that she deems not loyal enough to Trump has seemingly influenced the president, who has proceeded to fire several people she has targeted. In recent weeks, her attention turned to Driscoll, a relatively obscure figure in the grander picture of Washington, D.C. politics.
In another post, Loomer continued, "Why is the Army under the new Army Secretary Dan Driscoll constantly getting caught elevating and promoting people who are on the record attacking President Trump?"
Last month, Driscoll directed the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to rescind an employment offer for Jen Easterly, who was director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency during President Joe Biden''s tenure in the White House after the announcement of her hiring drew Loomer's attention.
"It's making the Defense Department less effective," another Pentagon official said of Loomer's politicking.
Driscoll, who has publicly been in lockstep with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump, is widely viewed as a potential successor to the SecDef. Hegseth entered the role with no notable national security leadership or managerial experience beyond having served for 12 years in the National Guard.
Driscoll is close friends with Vice President J.D. Vance and broadly seen as a polite alternative to Hegseth, having avoided public pugilism with the press. Hegseth has faced a series of public missteps in his first six months and has reportedly struggled to manage his staff, leading to a slew of departures and prompting questions about his long-term ability to lead the government's largest bureaucracy.
"Thirteen years ago today is my Alive Day, the day I nearly lost my life, and four of my brothers, including three Army leaders, never came home," Groberg wrote on X, responding to Loomer. "I've served under presidents from both parties and will always honor my oath to this country. Yes, I spoke for 60 seconds at the DNC when asked about service and sacrifice, not politics. For me, 8/8 isn't about parties. It's about the lives we lost."
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