White House doctoring Minnesota woman's photo unlikely to derail case, say experts

"The White House's decision to post a doctored photo of a woman arrested in Minneapolis on Thursday will probably be raised in court as her criminal case proceeds, though it is unlikely to derail the case entirely, legal experts said. The woman in the image, Nekima Levy Armstrong, is one of three people who was arrested on Thursday in connection with a disruptive protest at a church service."

"About 30 minutes after Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, posted a picture of her arrest, the White House posted a digitally altered photo of Armstrong in which her skin appears to be darkened and with tears running down her face. Noem posted pictures of two other defendants arrested on Thursday in connection with the protest, but only posted an altered image of Armstrong. The White House has not disputed the image was digitally altered."

"As a result, prosecutors are supposed to refrain from making statements that could be prejudicial or lead a jury to be biased against a defendant. This is supposed to be a legal process, not a political circus, which they've made it, Jordan Kushner, an attorney representing Armstrong, told CNN on Thursday evening. To do altered video, let's not sugarcoat this this is the hallmark of a fascist regime, where they actually alter reality, in this case literally, in order to meet their narrative."

The White House posted a digitally altered photo of Nekima Levy Armstrong after her arrest in a Minneapolis protest, darkening her skin and adding tears. Three people were arrested in connection with a disruptive church-service protest; two defendants' arrest photos were posted by Kristi Noem, while only Armstrong's image was altered. Criminal defendants are presumed innocent, and prosecutors must avoid prejudicial statements that could bias juries. Armstrong's attorney framed the altered image as reality distortion. The White House did not dispute that the image was digitally altered and pointed to a deputy communications director's post asserting law enforcement and meme sharing would continue.

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