Calla Walsh, who describes herself as a journalist from the U.S. working in Lebanon, made the remarks in an interview aired by Iranian state media PressTV during the outlet’s coverage of Khamenei’s funeral. Walsh was previously profiled by Boston Magazine as a young organizer who helped form Students for Markey and “played a pivotal role” in Sen. Markey’s 2020 primary win over then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III, after first volunteering for Sen. Warren’s presidential campaign.

“He was a leader to all people in the world who struggle against imperialism, against arrogance, against Zionism, against genocide,” Walsh said in the interview. “To me, he was the greatest anti-imperialist leader to live during my lifetime.”

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Her comments came with an Iranian flag seen in the backdrop.

Public profiles have traced Walsh’s political work through several Massachusetts progressive campaigns. Boston Magazine reported that Walsh later served as communications director for Jordan Meehan, a left-wing Massachusetts state House candidate, and was organizing with Act on Mass while doing digital media work for Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia’s re-election campaign in 2021. 

The conservative Capital Research Center’s InfluenceWatch, citing Walsh’s LinkedIn, also reported that Walsh was a regional organizer and strategist for Act on Mass from November 2020 to September 2021 and worked as digital director for Mejia in 2021.

Walsh has been tied to Michelle Wu’s Boston mayoral bid as well. A New York Times profile identified Walsh as part of the “Markeyverse” network and showed her canvassing for then-Boston mayoral candidate Wu.

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Meanwhile, Walsh has previously appeared in Fox News Digital reporting on far-left protest networks. In January, Fox News Digital reported that Walsh shared video of unrest in Minneapolis after the fatal Border Patrol shooting of Alex Pretti and bragged that protesters had trapped “ICE Gestapo” at the scene.

The same report noted that Walsh had previously been filmed in Iran shouting, “Death to America! Death to Israel!”

The interview from Iran’s state media about the Supreme Leader’s funeral was published under the headline, “Ayatollah Khamenei’s message of resistance was truly universal: American activist.” Press TV summarized Walsh’s remarks as arguing that Khamenei’s legacy extended beyond Iran and the Muslim world and that the massive funeral crowds represented “not only grief but a march of victory.”

Walsh also framed the recent conflict as a defeat for the United States, saying, “It’s still fair to say that the U.S. has been more humiliated than it has ever been before in its history and has signed away huge concessions to Iran.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Walsh, as well as to the high-profile Democrats she has worked or campaigned for, but did not receive a response in time for publication.