New Hampshire AG says fake Biden robocall before election traced to Texas firm

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella (R) said the fake President Biden robocall that discouraged voters from voting for him in the Granite State primary can be traced back to a Texas-based firm. 

Formella said in a news release Tuesday that investigators identified the firm as Life Corp., which is run by Walter Monk. The Election Law Unit issued a cease-and-desist order to the Texas company. 

Formella said the robocalls were made Jan. 21, just days ahead of the New Hampshire primary. The attorney general said the calls reached thousands of Democratic voters in the state and are now being investigated for voter suppression.

The recorded message imitated Biden’s voice falsely suggested to New Hampshire residents that voting in the primary would prevent them from voting in the general election scheduled for November. The source of the fake calls showed they were coming from the former state Democratic Party chair, Kathy Sullivan. Sullivan formed a super PAC, dubbed Granite for America, that spearheaded the initiative to write in Biden on the ballot. 

Despite not being on the ballot in the state primary, Biden won New Hampshire with close to 64 percent of the vote as a write-in candidate, according to Decision Desk HQ, the partner of The Hill. 

“Ensuring public confidence in the electoral process is vital,” Formella said. “AI-generated recordings used to deceive voters have the potential to have devastating effects on the democratic election process.”

Traceback technology was utilized to track down Life Corp. as the source, according to Formella. He also added the voice service provider was Texas-based service provider Lingo Telecom. When Lingo was notified the fake calls were under investigation, it suspended services to Life Corp., according to Formella. 

The Federal Communications Commission issued a cease-and-desist letter against Lingo. 

“The partnership and fast action in this matter sends a clear message that law enforcement, regulatory agencies, and industry are staying vigilant and are working closely together to monitor and investigate any signs of AI being used maliciously to threaten our democratic process,” Formella said.

The Hill has reached out to Lingo Telecom for comment.