Fai, who is running for county chair, spoke at an Oct. 10 event for an organization representing African refugees and immigrants. A clip later posted by the X account End Wokeness, which has 3.9 million followers, appeared to show her speaking Somali in front of an upside-down American flag. The flag’s orientation became the focus of online accusations against Fai.

The Oregon Journalism Project initially reported that the clip had been altered, publishing an image that appeared to show the flag right-side up. On Tuesday, the project retracted its report after questions arose about the image. The organization said it acted immediately after learning the story was inaccurate. Its editor, James Neff, did not describe how the image had been authenticated.

Fai’s campaign could not verify the image or locate original event footage. Campaign manager Brooke Hill initially told reporters she would provide screenshots and a copy of the video, but later clarified that the material had already circulated online and did not come from someone known to have attended the event. Fai said her campaign had not supplied the image used in the retracted report; the project later said it had received it from a campaign supporter.

The original recording remains difficult to check. Somali TV, which was identified as the source of the event video, does not have it listed online, and a Facebook photo album from the event has been removed. The organization did not respond to requests for comment. Fai said she had tried unsuccessfully to obtain the original video or photos and did not know how the flag was positioned while she spoke.

Fai said she would not intentionally make a speech in front of a flag meant to signal distrust of the United States. She has lived in Oregon for three decades and is originally from Somalia. She said the dispute was distracting from her message encouraging young people to work hard and take part in their communities.

Before the retraction, the Democratic Party of Oregon and U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter condemned what they called a racist deepfake and used the episode to argue for regulating AI and holding companies accountable for misrepresentation. The party later deleted its post. The claim that the clip was a deepfake had not been independently established.

The controversy unfolded amid heightened scrutiny and fear in immigrant communities. The Trump administration has pursued a criminal investigation into Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is also from Somalia. Federal agents searched Omar’s home on Oct. 12, and prosecutors issued grand jury subpoenas to some of her relatives. Omar denies wrongdoing, has not been charged, and her attorneys say the investigation is politically motivated.

The episode shows how quickly an unverified claim about manipulated media can shape political debate — and how a mistaken correction can compound the confusion. In Fai’s case, neither the viral clip nor the image offered to disprove it has been independently verified based on the information available.