Authorities issued cease-and-desist orders Tuesday against two Texas companies they believe were connected to to mimic President and discourage people from voting in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary last month.
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said investigators have identified the source of the calls as Life Corporation and said they were transmitted by a company called Lingo Telecom. New Hampshire issued cease-and-desist orders and subpoenas to both companies, while the Federal Communications Commission issued a cease-and-desist letter to the telecommunications company, Formella said. In a statement, the FCC said it was trying to stop 鈥渂ehavior that violates voter suppression laws.鈥�
During a news conference to discuss the investigation, Formella described the calls as the clearest and possibly first known attempt to to interfere with an election in the U.S. He noted that the calls went well beyond the political fliers that have landed in voters鈥� mailboxes during past elections.
鈥淐alls using AI with something as deceptive as trying to clone the voice of the president of the United States, we haven鈥檛 seen something like that before so close to an election with such a blatant attempt to mislead voters,鈥� Formella said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want it to be the first of many. We want this to be an example for us to point to, but also an enforcement example for anyone out there who would consider doing this.鈥�
No one answered the door at the offices of Life Corporation, in a strip mall in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon. Phone messages and emails left for Life Corporation鈥檚 owner, Walter Monk, were not returned.
Lingo Telecom said in an emailed statement that it 鈥渁cted immediately" to help the task force of state attorneys general with their investigation.
鈥淥n the same day we were contacted by the Task Force, we quickly identified and suspended the involved account, and will continue to cooperate with federal and state investigators to bring a resolution to this matter,鈥� the statement read. 鈥淟ingo remains committed to upholding the highest standards of customer care in compliance with all its regulatory obligations.鈥�
The recorded message was sent to between 5,000 and 25,000 voters two days before It used a voice similar to Biden鈥檚, employed his often-used phrase, 鈥淲hat a bunch of malarkey鈥� and falsely suggested that voting in the primary would preclude voters from casting a ballot in November鈥檚 general election.
Biden as a write-in candidate after he kept his name off the ballot in deference to for the Democratic primaries.
The calls falsely showed up to recipients as coming from the personal cellphone number of Kathy Sullivan, a former state Democratic Party chair who helps run Granite for America, a super PAC that supported the . Formella said at least 10 people who received the calls then called Sullivan.
Sullivan praised investigators Monday for their speed and effort.
鈥淎nyone who tries to suppress the vote in a democracy is a disgrace,鈥� she said in an email.
The apparent attempt at voter suppression using rapidly advancing is one example of what will make 2024 a year of unprecedented election disinformation .
Biden's campaign praised the investigation into the calls.
鈥淒isinformation aimed at suppressing voting and deliberately undermining free and fair elections is an unacceptable threat, and we commend the New Hampshire Attorney General for taking the matter seriously and moving swiftly as a powerful example against further efforts to disrupt democratic elections,鈥� campaign manager Julie Ch谩vez Rodriguez said.
The FCC鈥檚 cease-and-desist letter to Lingo Telecom said the investigation involved working with the Industry Traceback Group, a consortium of telecom and broadband industry service providers that can trace calls to their source, even if they have been 鈥渟poofed鈥� to make it look like they came from someone else.
The letter said once Lingo Telecom was identified as the original provider for the calls, the company identified Life Corporation as the party who initiated them. According to New Hampshire authorities, Lingo Telecom also suspended services to Life Corporation after learning of the investigation.
Josh Bercu, executive director of the Industry Traceback Group, confirmed the organization was involved in the investigation and was able to trace the source of the calls within four hours. He declined to comment further on the case.
Formella said charges could be brought under New Hampshire鈥檚 voter suppression law 鈥� a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison or under two federal laws, the Truth in Caller ID Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Each also carries the potential for thousands of dollars in fines. The FCC last week proposed explicitly criminalizing unsolicited robocalls that use voices made with artificial intelligence.
He said the investigation is just beginning but wanted to send a strong message to deter others who might be tempted to interfere in this year's elections.
鈥淥ur message is clear: Law enforcement across the country is unified on a bipartisan basis and ready to work together to combat any attempt to undermine our elections,鈥� he said.
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Swenson reported from New York. Associated Press researcher Rhonda Schafner in New York and writer Jamie Stengle in Arlington, Texas, contributed to this report.