Aim of Bari Weiss's Website Hit Piece Was to Deport Me: Trita Parsi - GV Wire

Trita Parsi, a long-time critic of U.S. foreign policy toward Iran, recently reported being the target of a coordinated effort to discredit him and incite government action. This campaign included a media report suggesting he was under investigation for undermining the U.S., a claim that was later refuted by the State Department.

What happened

As part of a broader campaign to pressure the U.S. government into revoking his green card, Parsi noted that activists or intelligence operators produced an AI-generated video depicting his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The synthetic video concluded with an appearance by a smiling Marco Rubio, suggesting the content was specifically designed to influence the Secretary of State, who serves as the primary decision-maker in such immigration matters.

This digital fabrication coincided with a report from Bari Weiss’s publication, The Free Press, which alleged that the State Department was investigating Parsi. However, the State Department issued a statement shortly after, clarifying that they had no plans to revoke Parsi’s green card and providing no confirmation that an investigation into him existed. Parsi characterized the incident as an attempt by elements within the State Department to create external pressure to initiate an investigation where none previously existed. While Parsi found the AI-generated video of his arrest amusing, he highlighted the incident as part of a recurring pattern of attempts to silence his opposition to war. Ultimately, the pressure campaign failed due to a significant public backlash against the idea of deporting individuals for exercising their free speech rights.