Somali lawmaker evades questions about upside-down American flag incident

A Somali-born lawmaker, Nafisa Fai, a Washington County Commissioner in Oregon, faced scrutiny after video emerged showing her speaking at an event in Minnesota on October 10 with what appeared to be an upside-down American flag behind her.

The U.S. Flag Code designates an inverted flag as a signal of extreme danger and it has become a symbol of political protest.

Images of Fai with the flag displayed upside down led to accusations of disrespect and anti-American sentiment, with some conservative voices calling for her deportation.

Initially, the Oregon Journalism Project published a report claiming the footage was a "deepfake," citing a "real" image of the flag displayed correctly. However, the outlet later retracted this report, admitting the newer image was incorrect and evidence confirmed the flag at the Minneapolis event had indeed been upside down. The Oregon Journalism Project stated the incorrect image was provided by a "Fai campaign supporter" and expressed regret for the misinformation.

Following this admission, footage showed Fai avoiding reporters' questions. "Everything my team and I received is everything that's been circulating online. We didn't produce or approve anything," she told ABC affiliate KATU.

When the Oregon Journalism Project initially reported the incident as a "deepfake hoax," other outlets followed suit, and several Democrats defended Fai, characterizing the allegations as racist attacks and highlighting concerns about AI misinformation. Oregon Congresswoman Maxine Dexter called the claims a "racist, disgusting attack," and the Democratic Party of Oregon advocated for AI regulation.

Axios also retracted its story on the incident, stating it was primarily based on the Oregon Journalism Project's initial reporting.

Fai, who is currently running for Chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, addressed the controversy, stating she was unaware of the flag's orientation at the time of her speech. "It’s unfortunate that message is being overshadowed by this divisive and dishonest political stunt," Fai said in a statement to The Oregonian. Her campaign later claimed they did not provide the "corrected" image to the Oregon Journalism Project.

Fai reiterated that she did not know how the flag was oriented and asserted, "I love this country. I respect this country. This country has given me so much. I would never disrespect and intentionally stand in front of a flag that was expressing some message about mistrust."

Fai did not respond to further requests for comment from the Daily Mail.