May 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Democratic operative Steve Kramer indicted over Biden robocalls

Sareen Habeshian

US President Joe Biden exits the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, DC, US, on We — President Biden exits the White House on May 8. Photo: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Steve Kramer, a longtime Democratic political operative, was indicted over AI-generated robocalls that impersonated President Biden's voice to discourage voters in New Hampshire, the state's Attorney General announced Thursday.

The big picture: Kramer, a former political consultant for Biden's long-shot Democratic primary challenger Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.), was charged with 13 felony counts of voter suppression and 13 misdemeanor counts of impersonation of a candidate.

The charges are spread across four counties based on the residences of those who received the robocalls, per the AG's office.

What they're saying: "New Hampshire remains committed to ensuring that our elections remain free from unlawful interference," Attorney General John Formella said in a statement.

"I hope that our respective enforcement actions send a strong deterrent signal to anyone who might consider interfering with elections, whether through the use of artificial intelligence or otherwise," he added.

State of play: The robocalls used an imitation of Biden's voice to urge New Hampshire voters to "save your vote for the November election."

The New Hampshire state attorney general's office opened an investigation into the matter.
Kramer couldn't be immediately reached for comment, but he told NBC News in February that he commissioned the robocalls in an act of civil disobedience to highlight the threat AI in politics can pose.

Go deeper: FCC outlaws AI voices in robocall fraud

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Democratic operative Steve Kramer indicted over Biden robocalls

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