Vermonters and at least one national Republican figure are responding to an elected Vermont official’s ‘death to America’ statements made last week while attending the funeral of the leader of Iran, who died in the early days of the war with Iran.
According to an X post by Orange County High Bailiff Christopher Helali, he’s been in Iran since at least July 7 to “honor, salute, and pray for” Iranian leader Ayotollah Khameini, slain by U.S. military forces at the outset of the 2026 Iran – US war.
“Hi everyone, we’re in Qom now,” Helali said on July 7 while walking the streets with demonstrators holding banners behind him. “We’ve been listening to the chanting. Death to America. Death to Israel. Death to the UK – death to England.”
Furthermore, the post shows him in Qom, standing in front of a banner that reads “Kill Trump.” On his Xpage he makes a point of pointing out that he is an elected official – “I am an elected official and I STAND with KHAMENEI and Iran!.”
The posts drew the attention of U.S. Congressman Randy Fine of Florida, a pro-Israel Republican, who tweeted: “This is treason. Arrest this scumbag the second he lands back in America.”
Several VDC commenters on a Friday, July 10, VDC news story about Helali’s visit to Iran appear to agree with Fine. One frequent VDC commenter, Rich LaChappelle, also remarked on the apparent double standard of those who are as yet silent about Helali’s visit to Iran but who criticized several Vermont lawmakers who made a fact-finding trip to Israel earlier this year:
“…and the Vermont moonbat community had a cow when some legislators went over to Israel (on private money), but not to support Gaza and Hamas. Such hypocrisy. Keep the beard, Helali, for when Trump righteously denies you entry back into the USA. The voters of the state of Vermont who support these commie muslim types (who even knew there was such a thing until recently) ought to have their heads examined.”
There is no indication on Helali’s X site about whether he has returned to Vermont.
Helali was elected as high bailiff in 2024 after neither the Democrat, Republican or Progressive parties fielded a candidate. He won on a write-in campaign.
Helali’s years of pro-Communist agitating are familiar to longtime VDC readers.
According to an August, 2020 VDC story, Helali, of Vershire, is the son of an Iranian father and a Greek communist mother. He ran for Congress in 2020 as the candidate of the American Communist Party. In that article by Lou Varricchio, an unclassified document that Helali himself published shows his links to Antifa and his involvement in military groups in the Middle East.
He is also a friend and supporter of Mohsen Mahdawi, the anti-Israel protester living in Vermont and facing deportation, according to a VDC story posted last year. He was elected high bailiff in 2024. Helali is a popular American journalist among anti-American Middle Eastern leaders. In addition to his trip to Iran, he also conducted interviews with a Hamas leader following the attack on Israel in October 2023.
The high bailiff’s office is unique to local government in Vermont, according to Wikipedia. The duties of the high bailiff are to serve writs which the sheriff is incapable of serving, such as the writ of arrest of the sheriff, and to temporarily succeed to the office of the sheriff in the event of the sheriff’s incarceration or incapacity. The position is unpaid.
While the office has historically been held largely by members of the law enforcement community, in 2020, several candidates ran for high bailiff on a platform calling for civilian oversight of law enforcement, according to Wikipedia. Three of those candidates won: former State’s Attorney Bobby Sand in Windsor County, college student Asa Skinder in Washington County, and attorney and pro-cannabis drug policy reform advocate Dave Silberman in Addison County.
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