Rick Scott Leans On Laura Loomer In Campaign To Be Senate GOP Leader | EUROtoday

A couple of years in the past, the anti-Muslim bigot and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer was so politically poisonous that after she took a photograph with Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Scott’s spokesperson claimed “the Senator had never met this person, that I’m aware of.”

On Tuesday, issues had been completely different. In an interview on Loomer’s podcast, Scott — who’s locked in a comparatively shut reelection race with former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and is attempting to grow to be the subsequent Senate Republican chief — thanked the far-right activist and Donald Trump sycophant for “all your help in helping me win my election” for a second time period as Florida’s governor in 2014. And Loomer confirmed off what she mentioned had been letters from Scott, together with a letter he despatched her as governor.

“To this day, from when I was a college student all the way to now, 12 years later, every time you see me, you know my name,” Loomer gushed, displaying off what she mentioned was a 2014 letter from Scott, apparently along with her faculty deal with on it, after which saying she’d “saved every single note that you ever sent to me — because I really cherish these letters, Sen. Scott.”

“I’m very appreciative. I’ve been blessed,” Scott replied. “I’ve gotten to meet wonderful people and work with wonderful people. Congratulations on all your success.”

Loomer on Wednesday referred to as Scott “the best candidate to be our next [Senate GOP] leader.” Spokespeople for the senator didn’t instantly reply to HuffPost’s request for remark.

The interview was a serious get for Loomer, a Trump devotee who has up to now referred to as herself a “proud Islamophobe” and “pro-white nationalism.” Loomer has repeatedly been a member of Trump’s marketing campaign entourage this election season, together with forward of the GOP presidential nominee’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris and at memorial occasions on Sept. 11.

Scott, the Florida conservative and Trump loyalist, is a long-shot candidate within the race to exchange Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as GOP chief within the Senate ought to he win reelection.

He’s vying in opposition to Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), two longtime McConnell allies who’re extra aligned with the institution wing of the occasion. Republican senators will select their subsequent chief in a closed-door election subsequent month that might be held by way of a secret poll.

“I’ve never understood why this wouldn’t be an open vote [for GOP leader],” Scott informed Loomer on Tuesday, including later that “this whole Washington establishment just despises the Trump voter.”

Some GOP senators have urged Trump to remain out of the race, warning it may backfire when the votes are stored secret, however conservatives are pushing for the previous president to play a task in choosing McConnell’s successor. And that might embody leaning on folks like Loomer, who has ties with Trump and who traveled with him on his aircraft final month.

Loomer’s ride-alongs got here a yr after she posted a video that referred to as the Sept. 11 terrorist assaults an “inside job.” Earlier this yr, Loomer referred to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who was born in Somalia, as a “black dog” and “American in name only.” “I really do believe in IQ science” Loomer mentioned, including that “some of the people that have the lowest IQs are Somalis” and saying of the congresswoman, “is it really acceptable to have somebody who’s so inbred that they have an IQ that is legally classified as mental retardation?”

Loomer has additionally mentioned Democrats ought to be executed, and that the White House “will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call center” if Harris — whose dad and mom are from India and Jamaica — is elected. The racist remark drew sturdy rebukes from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Sen. Thom Tillis (RN.C.)and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a prime Trump ally. Graham referred to as Loomer ”poisonous″ and urged Trump to maintain his distance from her.

“Some of the things she’s said about Republicans and others is disturbing,” Graham informed HuffPost in September.

After endorsing Scott for GOP chief on Tuesday, Loomer warned in a social media put up “about a few bad people who have been around Donald Trump lately who are giving him terrible advice on who to support in this Senate GOP race so that his entire 2nd term is undermined by people who have always hated him.”

The far-right Trump supporter pitched her present to Scott as a possibility to foyer Trump voters — and Trump straight — for his or her assist in the race for Senate GOP chief.

“We really appeal to the pulse of the MAGA base. President Trump himself listens to my show,” she mentioned through the dialogue. Later, she requested Scott, “What can the MAGA base do … to get President Trump’s attention so that, one, he issues a statement calling for an open-ballot vote, and, two, he endorses you to become the next Senate GOP leader?”

“Let your voices be heard,” Scott responded, urging listeners to name Trump and their senators in assist of his bid to guide Senate Republicans.

Much of the interview consisted of Loomer lobbing softballs to Scott concerning his rivals for the management put up. But Loomer additionally pressed the Florida Republican on his stance on key Trumpian points.

Asked by Loomer if he supported “mass deportations,” Scott mentioned, “If you’re here illegally, you’re here illegally. It’s real simple. You shouldn’t be here. It’s as simple as that.” When Loomer introduced up “election integrity,” Scott mentioned folks had been “very concerned that Trump is going to win and then somehow Democrats are going to do something wrong.”

Most of all, although, Scott used his time with the well-known bigot and conspiracy theorist to pledge his loyalty to Trump, noting that he confirmed up in assist of Trump on the Manhattan courtroom the place Trump was in the end discovered responsible of a hush cash scheme.

“We need to have somebody that’s going to represent the Republican Trump voters,” he mentioned of his bid for Senate management, including later: “No one’s been a bigger supporter in the Senate than me for Donald Trump and what he believes in. … Right now, it’s really just the Washington establishment versus Republicans that want to elect Trump.”

Notably, he additionally implied, falsely, that Democrats had been concerned within the assassination try in opposition to Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this yr. Referring to federal investigations and prosecutions, Scott named the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations and mentioned, “They pick who they want to go after. In this case, they’ve gone after Trump with these frivolous lawsuits. They’ve indicted him, they’ve convicted him, they’ve shot at him, they’ve done everything they can. What we’ve got to do — is whether we defund this DOJ, whatever we have to do, we’ve got to stop this.”