Biden-honored Iraqi official lands on US terror watchlist as Trump State Dept revokes visa

FIRST ON FOX: Four years ago, Taif Sami Mohammed was being celebrated by the United States as one of the world’s most courageous women.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the senior Iraqi official as the country’s "Iron Woman," crediting her with stopping bribes, uncovering schemes that enriched corrupt officials and fighting corruption despite threats against her.

Today, Mohammed is believed to be outside Iraq, on the U.S. terrorist watchlist and can no longer enter the United States.

A State Department official told Fox News Digital that the department revoked Mohammed’s visa this week, marking a dramatic reversal for an official who received one of the Biden administration’s highest-profile awards for women in 2022.

"While the Biden State Department shamefully celebrated and awarded foreigners who threaten our nation, the Trump State Department revokes their visas and ensures these individuals are removed from our country," Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP ADMIN EYES HISTORIC MASS VISA REVOCATION TARGETING UP TO 200K ASYLUM SEEKERS: REPORT "Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, suspected terrorists will never be allowed to remain in the United States." The State Department did not immediately provide details about when Mohammed was placed on the terrorist watchlist or the intelligence that led to that determination.

Mohammed’s fall from Washington’s favor had been building publicly for more than a year.

Republican lawmakers previously accused her of helping facilitate terrorist financing through Iraq’s financial system and urged the Trump administration to take action against her.

Reps.

Joe Wilson, R-S.C., and Greg Steube, R-Fla., called Mohammed a "key enabler of terrorist funding in Iraq" and pushed the administration to impose sanctions.

Those allegations stand in stark contrast to how the Biden administration described Mohammed when it selected her for the State Department’s International Women of Courage Award in 2022.

At the time, Mohammed was Iraq’s deputy finance minister and director general of its budget department.

The State Department described her as a "frontline leader against corrupt practices" who had been integral to preventing corruption in Iraq’s budget.

Blinken went further during the March 2022 awards ceremony, saying Mohammed had "stopped bribes" and uncovered efforts to inflate government payrolls and enrich corrupt officials.