It might seem far-fetched that a street magician, without a permanent home, who’s never cast a vote, and boasts about holding world records for bending forks and breaking out of straight jackets, could be mixed up in a high-tech political scandal.
But that’s what happened to magician Paul Carpenter.
Carpenter told media outlets last Friday that a political consultant from Democrat presidential candidate Dean Phillips’ camp hired him for a jaw-dropping job. Steve Kramer (who earned $260,000 from Phillips in December and January) paid the magician $150 to use AI to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice for robocalls ahead of the New Hampshire primary.
The robocalls, which made it to more than 20,000 voters, aimed to discourage voters from hitting the polls in January, telling them to hold their vote until November. Not cool, right? New Hampshire authorities slapped cease-and-desist orders to two Texas companies trying to put a stop to this shady business.
The Phillips’ campaign is singing a different tune, however, disowning these calls faster than you can say “ballot.”
But here’s the kicker: The magician, who splits time between Houston and New Orleans, didn’t know what he was getting into. Turns out, he got mixed up in something way sketchier than a magic trick gone wrong. Now he’s considering taking legal action against the consultant who roped him into this mess.
The bottom line? Elections are serious business, and messing with them ain’t cool.
