The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office says it is investigating a robocall with a fake voice of President Biden urging voters there not to participate in Tuesday’s presidential primary and instead “save” their votes for November.
The message, which White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday is “indeed fake and not recorded by the president,” was allegedly sent out Sunday, though it is unclear how many people may have received the call.
“Although the voice in the robocall sounds like the voice of President Biden, this message appears to be artificially generated based on initial indications,” the Attorney General’s Office said. “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,” it added.
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President Biden arrives at the White House in Washington on Monday after returning from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
The date that New Hampshire set for its primary Tuesday is out of compliance with the DNC’s 2024 presidential nominating calendar. Holding an unsanctioned primary means President Biden is not on the New Hampshire ballot, but Granite State Democrats have launched a write-in campaign in an attempt to prevent an electoral embarrassment for the president as he runs for a second term in the White House.
“What a bunch of malarkey. You know the value of voting Democratic when our votes count. It’s important that you save your vote for the November election,” the voice says in a recording of the message obtained by NBC News. “We will need your help in electing Democrats up and down the ticket. Voting this Tuesday only enables Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again. Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday.”
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President Biden speaks in the East Room during an event to welcome mayors attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting to the White House, on Friday, Jan. 19, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)
The Attorney General’s Office said “The message appears to have been ‘spoofed’ to falsely show that it had been sent by the treasurer of a political committee that has been supporting the New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary write-in efforts for President Biden.
“The message’s content directed recipients who wished to be removed from a calling list to call the number belonging to this person,” it continued.
Jean-Pierre also said Monday that “the president has been clear that there are risks associated with deepfakes; fake images and misinformation can be exacerbated by emerging technologies.
Nikki Haley and former President Trump are both campaigning in New Hampshire ahead of the primaries. (Getty Images/ AP)
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“And that’s why this president has directed the Department of Commerce through the AI Safety Institute at National Institute of Standards and Technology to help develop clear watermarking and content standards,” she added.
Katie Dolan, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who is challenging Biden in the Democratic primary, said Phillips’ team was not involved and only found out about the deepfake attempt when a reporter called seeking comment.
“Any effort to discourage voters is disgraceful and an unacceptable affront to democracy,” Dolan said in a statement. “The potential use of AI to manipulate voters is deeply disturbing.”
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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