MANCHESTER, NH — A prominent New Hampshire Democrat plans to file a complaint with the state’s attorney general over an apparent robocall that encouraged President Joe Biden supporters not to vote in Tuesday’s presidential election.
The voice in the message is familiar, even a presidential voice, as it is an obvious imitation or digital manipulation of Biden’s voice.
“What a bunch of malkeys,” begins the voicemail, echoing a favorite quote Biden had previously uttered.
“It is important that you save your vote for the November elections,” the message says.
“This Tuesday’s vote only gives Republicans a chance in their quest to re-elect Donald Trump.” Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday.”
The message concludes with a phone number belonging to former New Hampshire Democratic Party chairwoman Kathy Sullivan, who now runs a campaign-backed super PAC to urge New Hampshire Democrats to write in Biden’s name in the primary.
If you received this robocall or have more information about it, please contact NBC News here.
Biden’s name did not appear on Tuesday’s ballot, the result of state election officials setting the Feb. 3 primary before South Carolina’s first sanctioned contest of the 2024 nomination race under new Democratic National Committee rules.
But local supporters began writing late, both as a way to show support for Biden and to send a message to the national party about the Granite State’s tradition of hosting the nation’s first primary.
In an interview, Sullivan said she began receiving calls from people who received the message Sunday evening. One woman he spoke to said Biden called her, even though she told him she was not a Biden supporter.
“I said, ‘Joe Biden called you and he gave you my number?'” Sullivan responded.
A write-in volunteer also took the call and recorded it and shared it with Biden write-in campaign organizers, Sullivan said. Later, one of the organizers shared it with NBC News.
It is unclear how many voters were subpoenaed and which voters were targeted. Lists of voters’ phone numbers are readily available from data brokers.
Although it is not clear who is behind the robocall, Sullivan said, “It is clear that it is someone who wants to hurt Joe Biden.”
“I want them prosecuted as much as possible because it’s an attack on democracy,” said attorney Sullivan, who believes the challenge may violate several laws. “I won’t let it go. I want to know who is paying for this? Who knew about this? Who benefits?”
He said he plans to involve federal law enforcement in addition to the state attorney general’s office.
Sullivan served as party chairman in 2002 when a so-called wiretapping attempt was made during a hotly contested U.S. Senate race. Including two Republican officials Executive Director was an operative for the state Republican Party and the Republican National Committee has been convicted Using computer-generated phone calls to disrupt Democrats’ get-out-the-vote call center operations.
Dean Phillips’ campaign, which is challenging Biden for the Minnesota congressman’s nomination, said he was not aware of the calls but called it “wildly disturbing.”
“Any attempt to discourage voters is disgraceful and unacceptable to a democracy,” spokeswoman Katie Dolan said. “The potential use of artificial intelligence to manipulate voters is deeply troubling.”
The Biden campaign, which said it was not involved in the New Hampshire write-in, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Trump’s campaign denied any connection with the call, saying, “No, we have nothing to do with it.”