Christopher Helali remains, by every available public indication, the elected high bailiff of Orange County, Vermont.

Helali won the obscure county office as a write-in candidate in November 2024. No public resignation, removal, vacancy announcement or successor has surfaced, and public profiles continue to identify him as the officeholder.

That would ordinarily attract little attention. Vermont high bailiffs rarely perform any official work. But Helali has repeatedly invoked his elected Vermont title while appearing in Russia and Iran, including during active military hostilities between the United States and Iran.

What Does a High Bailiff Do?

The title sounds more ceremonial than it is.

A Vermont high bailiff serves as a legal backstop to the county sheriff. Under state law, a high bailiff may act on legal process directed against the sheriff and commit the sheriff to the Commissioner of Corrections. If the sheriff is confined or the office becomes vacant, the high bailiff assumes the sheriff's functions and powers until the sheriff is released or a replacement is appointed.

The White River Valley Herald summarized the office more plainly: high bailiffs may assume the sheriff's duties if the sheriff is deemed unfit or the office becomes vacant, and they may facilitate the sheriff's arrest if necessary.

The office is normally dormant. It is nevertheless an elected county position carrying potential law-enforcement authority under unusual circumstances.

A High Bailiff Abroad

By September 2025, Helali was already spending much of his time approximately 4,500 miles from Orange County.

The Herald reported that Helali still called Vershire home, but was more likely to be found in Russia, where he described himself as working in journalism, politics and international affairs. The newspaper identified him throughout as Orange County's sitting high bailiff.

His activities in Russia later became more visible.

In May 2026, Helali posted from Moscow that it was an "absolute HONOR" to share a stage and speak alongside Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the International Security Forum.

The forum was held May 26–29 under the auspices of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. Helali's own photograph showed him beside Zakharova, one of the Russian government's most prominent public representatives.

Helali Claims U.S. No Fly Status

In June, Helali publicly asserted that he had been added to the FBI's No Fly List.

According to his account, he was traveling from Moscow through Beijing to Mexico City when he was denied boarding because the flight would cross United States airspace. He said he planned to cover the World Cup and meet with Iran's national soccer team.

The federal government does not ordinarily confirm an individual's watchlist status. Helali's inclusion on the No Fly List therefore remains his own publicly stated claim, not a publicly verified federal determination.

Several weeks later, he appeared in Tehran.

"The Sole Purpose of Defending Iran"

In a recent video posted on Instagram, Helali identified himself as Orange County high bailiff and said he was attending funeral ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He described Iran as his "homeland" and "ancestral home." He acknowledged that he was born and raised in the United States and had served in the U.S. military, but said America had been a force for "tremendous evil, brutality and barbarism."

Helali then stated:

"I'm here for the sole purpose of defending Iran and for showing my solidarity and support for Iran, for the revolution, and for our unity at this time against imperialism and against Zionism."

He also emphasized that he was, to his knowledge, the only elected United States politician then in Iran. Independent reporting identified Helali among the Americans attending Khamenei's funeral events in Tehran.

Helali challenged anyone objecting to his conduct to seek his removal from office, saying that until then, he remained Orange County high bailiff.

In another publicly circulated photograph, Helali posed with a raised fist beneath banners reading "Kill Trump" and "Death to Trump." The image does not establish that he created the signs or personally made those statements. It does show that he posed beneath them and distributed the photograph publicly.

The Vermont Title Traveled With Him

Helali's statements were not delivered solely as those of a journalist, activist or private citizen.

He repeatedly emphasized that he was an elected American official and specifically named his position as Orange County high bailiff. His Vermont title accompanied him from a Russian security forum to funeral events and political demonstrations in Iran.

The office's limited daily workload may explain how its holder can spend extended periods overseas without interrupting routine county operations. It does not make the office nonexistent.

Helali remains publicly identified as Orange County high bailiff. Under Vermont's system, the apparent options are straightforward: he can resign, voters can choose someone else at the next election, or the Vermont House can examine whether impeachment proceedings are warranted.

No criminal accusation is required to consider those options.

Helali has supplied the words, photographs, locations and public title himself. Vermonters can examine that record and decide what it means for the person holding one of their elected county offices.