White House defends AI-edited arrest photo: ‘The memes will continue’
Was it simply trolling or an attempt to deceive?
The White House is clarifying its social media strategy following the arrest of a prominent civil rights attorney in Minnesota. Officials labeled a digitally altered photo of Nekima Levy Armstrong’s arrest a “meme” after it was posted to the official White House X account. The unedited photo, initially shared by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, showed Armstrong looking composed, while the White House version depicted her sobbing with tears on her face.
The Justice Department is prosecuting Armstrong and others over a protest at a St. Paul church linked to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even as the White House promotes the edited arrest image.
X appended a Community Note to the White House post, stating that DHS Sec. Kristi Noem had earlier shared the same arrest photo of Nekima Levy Armstrong with a neutral expression, and that, roughly 30 minutes later, the White House posted a digitally altered version (tears added) without an alteration disclaimer.
Digital forensics expert Hany Farid told CBS News the pattern of sharing A.I.-manipulated content is “troubling” and makes it harder for the public to trust official posts.
“This is not the first time that the White House has shared AI-manipulated or AI-generated content,” Farid said. “This trend is troubling on several levels. Not only are they sharing deceptive content, they are making it increasingly more difficult for the public to trust anything they share with us.”
What officials say about the protest and charges
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that Armstrong was arrested at her direction for an alleged role in “the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” adding, “WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” according to her post.
The Justice Department said it had arrested Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen and William Kelly in connection with a Sunday protest that interrupted a service at Cities Church and prompted some congregants to leave.
Bondi and other officials said the demonstrators chanted “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referencing a 37-year-old mother fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier in the month.
Attorneys representing the church praised the arrests; Doug Wardlow of True North Legal said in a statement that the Justice Department “acted decisively” against what he called a “terrible crime”.
Noem said Armstrong was charged under 18 U.S.C. § 241, conspiracy to deprive rights, while officials also cited a separate statute in charging another protester with obstructing or intimidating people seeking to participate in a religious service.
Visual evidence and the White House response
The White House’s altered photo showed Armstrong with tears on her face and apparently darker skin, while Noem’s earlier image depicted her with a neutral expression.
The New York Times said an A.I. detection system, Resemble.AI, flagged signs of manipulation on Armstrong’s face in the White House version and found Noem’s photo to be authentic. The Guardian reported that overlaying the two images showed the arresting agent, background figures and arm positions lined up exactly, indicating they came from the same original photo.
Asked if the image had been edited, the White House pointed reporters to a post from deputy communications director Kaelan Dorr, who wrote on X, “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
CBS News reported that the White House caption labeled Armstrong “a far-left agitator,” and that Vice President JD Vance also reposted the altered photo.
Trump and his allies have circulated multiple synthetic images over the years, including one of him as a king and another depicting a pilot dropping waste on protesters. White House officials and other Republicans digitally placed sombreros on images of Democratic leaders amid legislative gridlock on a congressional funding bill.
How the cases and investigations are unfolding
Armstrong, Allen and Kelly were booked at Sherburne County Jail, a facility roughly 35 miles from Minneapolis, typically used for federal inmates, according to The Associated Press. A federal magistrate judge granted bond and restricted Armstrong and Allen from traveling outside Minnesota or approaching Cities Church. A government appeal kept them in custody.
Political tensions over the arrests have spilled into local governance. While Vice President Vance urged state and local law enforcement to assist federal officers, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned Armstrong’s arrest as “a gross abuse of power” and called for her release.
Prosecutors also sought to charge independent journalist Don Lemon over his presence at the church protest, but a federal magistrate judge refused to sign the complaint, according to Politico.
Lemon said he attended the church “as a journalist” and that interviewing participants and documenting events was “called journalism.” His attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the ruling confirmed the First Amendment protects Lemon’s work, the AP reported.
The Times reported that Armstrong’s lawyers could cite the photo as evidence of government animus or “improper extrajudicial statements,” arguments that could potentially lead to a dismissal of charges.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
