‘Biden’ robocall tells Democrats in New Hampshire to stay home
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire—As New Hampshire voters prepared to cast their votes in the state’s first-in-the nation primary Tuesday, a robocall is circulating in the state urging Democrats to stay home—using a fake audio of US President Joe Biden.
“It’s important that you save your vote for the November election … voting this Tuesday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again,” the call says.
The White House confirmed Monday that the call was not recorded by Biden and said the incident highlights the challenges emerging technologies present, especially ahead of the November presidential election.
Deep fake risks
“The president has been clear that there are risks associated with deep fakes. Fake images and misinformation can be exacerbated by emerging technologies,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in Washington.
The New Hampshire attorney general, John Formella, announced he is investigating what he called an apparent “unlawful attempt to disrupt the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election and to suppress New Hampshire voters.”
The audio of the call was provided to Reuters by supporters of a campaign to encourage voters to write in Biden’s name on their ballots. Biden’s campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said the call was “disinformation” and an attempt to suppress voting.
Not on ballot
Support for Biden’s write-in campaign will be closely watched amid weak polls for the president, although the results have no bearing on the Democratic Party’s nominating contest.
The call was first reported by NBC News.
Biden’s name is not on the ballot Tuesday, because the national Democratic Party made South Carolina their first official primary, ending New Hampshire’s historical status and angering some Democrats there.
In the audio, the Biden “voice” is heard using one of his signature phrases, “What a bunch of malarkey.”
The calls included the personal cell phone number of Kathy Sullivan, New Hampshire Democratic Party chair, who requested an investigation. —REUTERS
