Russians claim they pulled prank on Sanders
One said that he’s Greta Thunberg, other her dad
Russian pranksters claim they called U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders pretending to be climate activist Greta Thunberg and offered Thunberg’s support to his campaign.
Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov, who have fooled many high-profile victims around the world, posted a recording of the phone call on Youtube on Thursday.
The call itself took place in early December, but the duo decided to release it more than two months later because of Sanders’ success in Iowa and New Hampshire, Kuznetsov told The Associated Press in a Skype interview.
A representative for the campaign didn’t comment Friday on the authenticity of the call.
Federal law enforcement officials were alerted in November that several Democrats had received calls from someone believed to be outside the U.S. who was claiming to represent the teenage Thunberg and was trying to set up calls or in-person meetings with members of Congress, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
In the recording, an unnamed female pretends to be Greta, and
Stolyarov plays her father, Svante. They offer to lend support to the campaign of a man who identifies himself as Sanders.
The 78-year-old Sanders suggests that “Greta” make a statement in his support and that they do an event together. “I would be really appreciative,” he says.
“Greta” then proposes to record a rap song in support of Sanders together with “singer Billie Eilish and rapper Kanye West.”
Sanders says that would be “terrific”
and tries to end the conversation.
After that, “Greta” tells Sanders that he was recruited by the KGB in 1988 when he visited Russia and has since been a “sleeper agent,” after which Sanders appears to hang up the phone.
Stolyarov said during the Skype interview that Thunberg’s name “opens doors to everyone.”
Stolyarov insisted the pranksters didn’t want to influence the U.S. presidential race.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is endorsing Sanders for president.
De Blasio, an unabashed liberal who was elected in 2013, will campaign for Sanders in Nevada this weekend, the Sanders campaign said Friday in a news release.
Democratic presidential hopefuls will debate in Phoenix next month in their first meeting after the crucial Super Tuesday primaries that typically narrow the field of candidates, the Democratic National Committee announced Friday.
The Democrats’ 11th debate of the 2020 election cycle will be broadcast on CNN and Univision on March 15.
The debate comes two days before Arizona’s primary.
President Donald Trump will visit North Carolina the night before its primary election next month.
Trump’s campaign announced on Friday that the president would attend a rally the evening of March 2 at Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum.
The first Democratic presidential candidates are filing voter signatures to get on Pennsylvania’s primary ballot, according to information from the state election office Friday.
The first to file was California billionaire Tom Steyer, submitting signatures on Thursday. On Friday, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg also filed.
The other campaigns have until 5 p.m. Tuesday.