The Trump administration on Thursday misrepresented the arrest of a prominent civil rights attorney for her role in an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.
On its official X page, the White House shared an image of Nekima Levy Armstrong that showed her in tears with, her arms behind her back, standing in front of someone wearing a badge around their neck.
The problem? Levy Armstrong wasn’t actually crying. The image was manipulated to make the moment more dramatic than it actually was.
Here's a closer look at the facts.
CLAIM: An image shows civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong crying while being arrested in Minnesota.
THE FACTS: This is false. The original image, which shows Levy Armstrong with a neutral expression, was altered to make her appear emotional.
Jordan Kushner, an attorney for Levy Armstrong, said he was present at his client's arrest and said any videos and photos put out by the administration showing her crying were manipulated images.
“It is just so outrageous that the White House would make up stories about someone to try and discredit them,” Kushner said. “She was completely calm and composed and rational. There was no one crying. So this is just outrageous defamation.”
He added that video Levy Armstrong's husband shot “dismantles what they claim” and that the video would be released soon.
Amid growing questions about the image, White House Deputy Communications Director Kaelan Dorr wrote on X Thursday afternoon: “YET AGAIN to the people who feel the need to reflexively defend perpetrators of heinous crimes in our country I share with you this message: Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Levy Armstrong's arrest in an X post at 9:28 a.m. EST. Less than an hour later, at 10:21 a.m. EST, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted the original photo of Levy Armstrong, also on X. The White House then shared the manipulated image at 10:54 a.m. EST.
Certain details in both images are the same, indicating they are not simply photos taken at different times. For example, the badge worn by the person behind Levy Armstrong is in the same position, as are the lights shining through the curtain to the left of Levy Armstrong’s head.
Neither the White House nor Homeland Security immediately responded to requests for additional comment.
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Associated Press writer Jack Brook in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
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