Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) tweeted a doctored photo of Iran President Hassan Rouhani and former U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday with the caption, “The world is a better place without these guys in power.”
The original, undoctored photo, which can be viewed here, is of India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Obama from 2011.
You can see Gosar’s tweet with the doctored image below:
https://twitter.com/DrPaulGosar/status/1214276066086395906
After being called out on the social media platform for posting a fake photo, Gosar tweeted, ” No one said this wasn’t photoshopped … no one said Obama met with Rouhani in person. The tweet says: “the world is a better place without either of them in power.”
1. To the dim witted reporters like @dmedin11: no one said this wasn’t photoshopped. No one said the president of Iran was dead. No one said Obama met with Rouhani in person.
The tweet says: “the world is a better place without either of them in power”. https://t.co/zwLPPXniQh— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) January 6, 2020
Gosar is a self-described “constitutional conservative” who has represented Arizona’s 4th District since 2013.
Gosar’s tweet comes just days after Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a U.S. military drone strike.
President Trump, who authorized the attack on Soleimani, tweeted that “should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner.”
These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020
President Trump has a history of posting doctored media as well.
Twitter does not have an explicit policy banning the posting of doctored or photoshopped photos. However, the social media platform does ban violence and hateful conduct.
According to the site’s rules, users “may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.”
Gosar didn’t immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.