Laura Loomer might not be a household name, but in political circles, she has earned an unfortunate reputation. Loomer is a right-wing activist, a failed Republican congressional candidate who has described herself as “pro-white nationalism,” and a radical conspiracy theorist who has claimed that deadly school shootings were staged and the Sept. 11 attacks were “an inside job.”

She was also a close confidant to Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign — one whose access and influence appears to have grown.

It was striking enough last week to see the president oust several members of the National Security Council and the two top leaders at the National Security Agency, but the story became even more dramatic when the public learned that the firings came on the heels of a meeting with Loomer, who promptly took credit for the developments.

The New York Times published a striking behind-the-scenes look at what transpired at the White House.

Sitting directly across from the president in the Oval Office, Ms. Loomer, the far-right agitator and conspiracy theorist, held a stack of papers that detailed a litany of accusations about “disloyal” members of the National Security Council. The national security adviser, Michael Waltz, had arrived late and could only watch as Ms. Loomer ripped into his staff. Fire them, Mr. Trump instructed Mr. Waltz, according to people with knowledge of the meeting on Wednesday. The president was furious and demanded to know why these people had been hired in the first place.

The Times’ report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, added that the situation “perfectly encapsulates Mr. Trump’s longtime penchant for soliciting information from dubious sources. The difference now, in Mr. Trump’s second term, is that he has fewer people around him who try to keep those voices away.”

In a normal and healthy White House, such a cartoonish scenario wouldn’t even be possible. The idea that a sitting president would not only meet with someone like Loomer, but also follow her recommendations about national security personnel — as the actual White House national security adviser watched helplessly — sounds like the script of an unrealistic television show.

But if the Times’ account is accurate, this is what happened just last week.

The article added that during the president’s first term, there were officials who “spent a large portion of their days blocking off people they described as ‘the crazies.’” Those aides have been replaced by those who approach their gatekeeping role very differently.

But it’d be a mistake to assume the problem is limited to Loomer. As my MSNBC colleague Ja’han Jones recently noted, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team invited a prominent right-wing extremist and conspiracy theorist named Jack Posobiec to travel with him and other Pentagon officials on an international trip. Ja’han also noted that a religious extremist named Sean Feucht joined Scott Turner, Trump’s secretary of housing and urban development, “as Turner and his staff toured the damage wrought by the recent wildfires in Los Angeles.”

Around the same time, the president tapped the Rev. Paula White, a controversial televangelist, to lead the White House’s faith office.

Soon after, the White House invited Chaya Raichik, the creator of the Libs of TikTok account, to watch as Trump signed an executive order on the dismantling of the Education Department.

And did I mention that the administration gave an exclusive briefing in late February to more than a dozen far-right influencers about Jeffrey Epstein? Because that happened, too.

It is hardly a secret that both parties have fringes, but only one party offers the fringe this kind of access and influence.