Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) displayed a poster of an AI-generated image falsely depicting the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in which one AI-created federal agent is clearly missing a head during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Tuesday.
“CBP personnel shot Alex Pretti — and he was face down on Minneapolis’s sidewalk — killing him in broad daylight,” Thompson said as the fake, AI-generated image was displayed behind him while he attacked the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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Ironically, the Democrat congressman went on to claim that U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “gaslit the public” and “made up a demonstrably false story about Mr. Pretti” as the fake photo remained showcased behind him.
However, one would assume that Thompson, the ranking member of the committee, should have known better, given that Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) recently faced heavy backlash for displaying the same fake, AI-generated image while delivering remarks on the Senate floor late last month.
As Breitbart News reported, social media users took to the comment section of Durbin’s X post — which included video footage of his remarks — to blast the senator and point out that he had presented a photo featuring an AI-created federal agent who was clearly missing a head.
“I can’t believe it, but it’s real,” Center for Renewing America CEO Eric Teetsel wrote, announcing that Durbin had “actually used the fake AI image from Minnesota on the Senate floor.”
“Whether you knew it or not, you presented an AI-generated false image as fact on the Senate floor. You should be censured, if not removed from office,” another X user asserted.
“Pretty graphic image for sure… considering the one ICE Agent doesn’t have a head,” a third quipped.
Durbin’s X post was even hit with a Community Note explaining to the public, “This photo the senator shows has been digitally altered from the original screen capture of the incident that killed Alex Pretti.”
“The kneeling officer on the right has no head, and other seemingly clear but fictional details are created from the original blurry image,” the Community Note adds.
During his remarks, Durbin had gotten yet another piece of information wrong, falsely claiming that the 37-year-old was shot by an ICE agent.
Unlike Durbin, Thompson at least correctly noted that Pretti had been shot by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official, but nonetheless failed to display a real image of the event while attacking the Trump administration on Tuesday.
Like Durbin, the Democrat congressman was slammed by social media users, who noted, “This is the same fake photo that Dick Durbin shared.”
“Bennie Thompson is pushing fake AI slop at the House Homeland Security Committee,” one X user proclaimed.
“There is ZERO doubt @BennieGThompson knows this image is an AI fake, but Dems continue to show it to further rile up and activate their base to attack federal law enforcement,” another claimed.
“They do this [because] they know MSM will plaster it everywhere and build the narrative they need,” another surmised.
Another declared, “Democrats are HABITUAL liars,” while another X user wrote, “This needs to be called out and he needs to go.”
“Is anyone surprised about this?” another X user asked, before citing several hoaxes pushed by Democrats over the years. “Can Democrats be believed about anything? Nope. They cannot.”
“This is actually insane,” another said of the AI-generated image being displayed on the House floor, adding, “This should be illegal.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.