Summary
Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai said she did not provide a manipulated image that was cited in questioning footage of her speaking in front of an upside-down American flag at an Oct. 10, 2026, event in Minneapolis. The Oregon Journalism Project published a story on Oct. 19 that questioned the footage’s authenticity but retracted the story the following day after obtaining additional images that it said confirmed the flag had been upside down.
The image originally credited to Fai showed apparent inconsistencies — including a misaligned section of the flag and a missing star corner — prompting initial allegations of digital alteration or an alleged deepfake. Fai denies sending the conflicting image, said she shared and later deleted the post on her social media, and said she cannot confirm which versions of the media circulating online are real; she called the controversy a political distraction.