Republicans Are Playing Telephone With Mahmoud Khalil’s Arrest
This morning, Fox News aired the following graphic when referring to the protests calling for Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil's release:
"More Protests Backing Arrested Syrian Antisemite." Excuse me?
The banner isn’t just inflammatory—it’s outright propaganda. It’s a textbook example of how the conservative media machine twists reality to fit its narrative.
(It’s also poorly written, but I digress.)
First, conservative media called the protests "pro-Palestinian." Then, they switched to "anti-Israel." When demonstrations reignited last week, the label escalated to "pro-Hamas." Now, they've dropped the pretense entirely and landed on simply "antisemitic."
These words aren’t interchangeable, and the way they’re deployed isn’t random. Khalil’s arrest isn’t just a grotesque injustice—it’s a case study in how the right-wing apparatus systematically manufactures a villain.
Every time his story is retold, the truth gets more distorted, the rhetoric more extreme, and a lone protester is transformed into a national security threat.
Let’s rewind.
On Saturday night, Mahmoud Khalil was abducted by the United States government. Federal agents, acting under the authority of the president, stormed his apartment, arrested him, and threatened his eight-months-pregnant, U.S.-citizen wife with detention if she dared to resist.
The media began reporting the story on Sunday, citing Khalil's attorney. Here's the original AP article:
Sunday evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the AP's report by posting the link on X. He captioned the post, "We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported."
On Monday, Donald Trump explained his rationale, posting on Truth Social:
A masterclass in fearmongering. Let’s dissect it.
Trump brands Khalil a "radical foreign pro-Hamas student." Then, he calls Columbia protesters "anti-Semitic and anti-American." He tosses in a wild conspiracy theory, claiming they’re "paid agitators." And to top it all off, he goes nuclear—labeling them all "terrorist sympathizers."
This isn’t just Trump's trademark bluster. It’s a deliberate strategy—a script for Republicans and right-wing media to parrot and escalate.
Enter House Speaker Mike Johnson, ready to do his part. When asked at his Tuesday briefing, “What crime did Mahmoud Khalil commit to warrant his arrest?” Johnson choked.
Since Johnson lacked any legal justification, he resorted to a clumsy three-step maneuver: first, implying Khalil is on a student visa (and not mentioning his green card); second, calling him an “aspiring young terrorist”; and third, accusing him of “preying upon” Jewish classmates.
In just one news cycle, Khalil went from "terrorist sympathizer" to "aspiring terrorist." He wasn’t just accused of antisemitism—now, he was supposedly hunting down Jewish students. The protesters were no longer "agitators"—they had become an "angry mob."
Then came conservative media, gleefully fanning the flames. For example, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy McCarthy weighed in yesterday with a column for The National Review titled, “What’s the Best Argument for Columbia Agitator’s Arrest and Deportation?”
McCarthy lays out the so-called legal rationale for Khalil's detention and deportation, arguing that the U.S. government has the authority to remove non-citizens deemed a threat to national security. His argument is nothing new—it mirrors, word for word, the justification Rubio and the Trump administration gave at the time of Khalil’s arrest.
The real story, however, is in the rhetoric. Protesters appear in scare quotes. The “angry mob” becomes an “uprising.” Pro-Palestinian literature is rebranded as “Jew-hatred flyers.” Trump’s “anti-American” smear is upgraded to “anti-constitutional”—as if silencing political dissent is somehow enshrined in the First Amendment.
Then comes the coup de grâce. McCarthy writes: "That law, construed properly, authorizes the government to exclude and deport pro-jihadist agitators."
It’s racist. It’s manipulative. It’s a brazen lie.
Now, let's return to Fox News.
Their wording may differ, but the intent is the same. "Syrian antisemite" is a dog whistle for "radical Muslim." Just like "pro-jihadist," it lumps together disparate groups and ideologies simply because they exist in the same region. It also erases Khalil’s identity as a Palestinian activist.
This is how authoritarianism creeps in—not through one sweeping decree, but through repetition and escalation. Words, echoed and amplified, solidify into "truth." In just a few days, a legally dubious arrest has been warped into a full-blown national security panic.
The Republican narrative about Mahmoud Khalil isn’t just dishonest—it’s dangerous. It’s a calculated effort to convince the public that protest is a crime, that dissent is a threat, and that the government can crush its critics with impunity.
If we don’t call this out now, who will be next?
#FreeMahmoud
For help with the timeline:
https://newrepublic.com/post/192624/white-house-donald-trump-mahmoud-khalil-really-arrested
https://newrepublic.com/post/192598/mike-johnson-mahmoud-khalil
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