Arizona Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said her family and staff have faced threats and online attacks since the beginning of the United States’ war with Iran.
Ansari, whose parents fled the Iranian Republic, has long accused the Trump administration of engaging in an illegal war in Iran. And she recently filed articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for allegedly carrying out illegal military actions, including a missile strike that hit a girls school.
In a statement, the congresswoman accused “bad actors” of attempting to use AI images and lies to spread racist and sexist conspiracies about her staff and family, including false claims that Ansari and her parents are not U.S. citizens.
“They’ve even gone so far as to spread the outright lie that I am somehow tied to the regime,” Ansari said. “I will say this once and move on: These absurd allegations are entirely false and I denounce them in the strongest terms.”
She said the threats and harassment began since the war began in February and have ramped up since she filed the articles of impeachment against Hegseth.
Ansari said she expects to face criticism as a public figure and elected official, but denounced the attacks against her family and staff.
“I also won’t be silent as they are targeted, doxxed and attacked online. This has not been a good-faith policy debate. It is a coordinated effort to smear, intimidate, and silence, and it will not succeed,” she said.
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