E-Paper
Dems raise alarm as fake Biden robocall targets New Hampshire voters, Trump campaign reacts
The Attorney General's Office is looking into reports of fake robocalls, which has used Biden's voice to encourage people not to cast ballots in New Hampshire.
The Attorney General's Office is looking into reports of a fake robocall, which has used US President Joe Biden's voice to encourage people not to cast ballots in New Hampshire's presidential primary on Tuesday.
"Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday," stated the message sent on Monday, January 21. Attorney General John Formella stated in a statement on Monday that while the voice in the robocall sounds similar to that of President Biden, this message appears to have been artificially manufactured based on preliminary findings.
According to Formella, the communication appears to have been "spoofed" to make it appear that it was sent by the treasurer of a political committee that has been backing President Biden's write-in campaign for the New Hampshire Democratic Primary.
“These messages appear to be an unlawful attempt to disrupt the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election and to suppress New Hampshire voters. New Hampshire voters should disregard the content of this message entirely,” Formella said in a statement. “Voting in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election does not preclude a voter from additionally voting in the November General Election.”
Also Read: Trump maintains wide lead over Haley in New Hampshire poll as GOP primary shrinks to two-person race
The recording of the call released
“What a bunch of malarkey,” the voice started, using a term so-characteristic of 81-year-old Biden it has been widely used in meme-making.
“You know the value of voting Democratic,” it stated as per NBC. “Our votes count. It’s important that you save your vote for the November election. We’ll need your help in electing Democrats up and down the ticket.
“Voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again. Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday. If you would like to be removed from future calls, please press two now.”
Biden write-in campaign condemns fake robocall
The Biden write-in campaign has denounced the fake robocall. "This is deep fake disinformation designed to harm Joe Biden, suppress votes, and damage our democracy," said Aaron Jacobs, a spokesperson for the write-in campaign, as per Axios.
"We are confident that New Hampshire voters will respond by showing up to the polls and making clear that we won't be intimidated by these dirty tricks," Jacobs added.
Biden's name is not listed on the primary ballot in New Hampshire due to a disagreement with New Hampshire lawmakers and the Democratic National Committee.
Also Read: Joe Biden mocks Donald Trump for confusing Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi: ‘We agree on this much…’
Democrats sound alarm over fake call, Trump campaign says ‘not us’
Meanwhile, Democrats demanded the makers of the fake call mimicking Biden's voice should be “prosecuted to the fullest extent” for attempting “an attack on democracy” itself.
“I want them to be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible because this is an attack on democracy,” Kathy Sullivan, ex-state party chair, told NBC News.
“I’m not going to let it go. I want to know who’s paying for it? Who knew about it? Who benefits?”
A representative for Congressman Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is launching an independent candidacy for the Democratic nomination, said: “Any effort to discourage voters is disgraceful and an unacceptable affront to democracy. The potential use of AI to manipulate voters is deeply disturbing.”
“Not us, we have nothing to do with it," former US President Donald Trump's campaign spokesperson told NBC.
A New Hampshire primary election poll released on Monday shows that Trump is leading by a significant margin. The poll also indicates that more independent voters intend to cast ballots on Tuesday.
