The Attorney General’s office in New Hampshire has initiated an investigation into a series of robocalls that falsely impersonated President Joe Biden, urging Democrats not to vote in the upcoming presidential primary. This investigation was launched following a report by NBC News, which highlighted the deceptive nature of the calls.
The robocalls, featuring a voice resembling President Biden’s, contained a message that voting in the Tuesday primary would aid Republican efforts to re-elect Donald Trump. The Attorney General’s office has indicated that these calls seem to be an artificial creation, aimed at disrupting the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election and suppressing voter turnout.
Kathy Sullivan, a prominent figure in the New Hampshire Democratic Party and a former chair, became involved when her personal phone number was displayed on the caller ID of those receiving the call. Sullivan, who is currently leading a super PAC that supports a campaign for writing in Biden’s name in the primary, reported receiving calls from individuals who received the robocall. She clarified that she had no involvement in the creation or distribution of these calls.
Content
The content of the robocall began with the phrase “What a bunch of malarkey,” a term often used by President Biden, and advised recipients to save their vote for the November election, falsely asserting that voting on Tuesday would not be impactful.
This incident occurs in the context of a unique primary schedule, where New Hampshire’s primary was set after South Carolina’s, resulting in President Biden’s name not appearing on Tuesday’s ballot. Despite this, local Biden supporters have launched a write-in campaign, both in support of Biden and as a statement regarding New Hampshire’s long-standing tradition in the presidential primary process.
Unidentified
The scope of the robocall’s distribution and the specific demographic targeted remain unclear. However, the use of voter phone numbers, which can be obtained from data brokers, suggests a calculated approach to this misleading campaign. The source of these robocalls remains unidentified, but Sullivan expressed her belief that the objective was to harm Joe Biden’s standing among voters.
The Attorney General’s office has emphasized the importance of disregarding the robocall’s message and has assured that they are thoroughly investigating this incident as an apparent case of unlawful voter suppression.
