Granite State authorities on Tuesday identified the alleged culprit behind fake robocalls from a fake President Biden telling New Hampshire Democrats to stay home on primary day.
The hoax calls were traced to Texas-based Life Corporation, and New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said his office will open a criminal investigation into the hoax.
Formella said Life Corporation is in telecommunications marketing and is owned by a man named Walter Monk.
“We were able to trace the path of a select group of these telephone calls through the telecommunications system,” Formella said at a news conference in Concord.
“We will continue our work to identify and hold accountable any individuals or companies that may be responsible for these acts.”
He did not disclose any potential motive behind the robocalls. His office is seeking additional information from “entities not necessarily responsible for the calls” that may have “relevant information.”
President Biden easily achieved victory despite the fake phone calls. REUTERS
Approximately 5,000 to 25,000 Granite State voters are believed to have received phony calls ahead of the Jan. 23 primary election.
Some 125,000 voters ultimately participated in the Democratic primary, where Biden won handily despite mounting a write-in campaign.
“Voting this Tuesday only allows Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again. “His vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday,” an AI version of Biden was heard saying in the fake calls.
Those false robocalls came amid Democratic turbulence over the New Hampshire primary. The national party decided to move its first national contest to South Carolina, but Granite State Democrats ignored it in compliance with state law.
The president ran a complicated write-in campaign and still emerged victorious. REUTERS
As a result, the Democratic National Committee is not expected to allocate delegates in New Hampshire. Biden wanted to win the Granite State to avoid embarrassment as an incumbent.
Both Formella’s team and the Federal Communications Commission transmitted a cease-and-desist letter to Life Corporation, telling the company to stop “any further conduct” that could be considered illegal.
“The FCC will continue to put additional enforcement actions on the table pending an investigation,” he added. “New Hampshire will be co-lead on any civil action that is taken in addition to any criminal action that we may take.”
The Post left a message with Life Corporation seeking comment.
Formella also indicated that his office is investigating Texas-based Lingo Telecom, but did not disclose further details.
The hoax phone call spoofed the president’s voice in an apparent attempt to trick voters into not participating in the primary. Amanda Sabga/UPI/Shutterstock
“Our message is clear. Law enforcement across the country is united on a bipartisan basis and ready to work together to combat any attempt to undermine our elections,” Formella warned.
“We will not tolerate any action that seeks to undermine the integrity of our elections in our democratic process. The message to any person or company trying to engage in these activities is clear and simple: don’t try it.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn