The Atlantic

An Alabama Robocall Invokes Ugly Tropes

A recording falsely claiming to be from a <em>Washington Post</em> reporter named Lenny Bernstein seeks to fan resentment of the press among Roy Moore supporters.
Source: Byrnn Anderson / AP

Alabama’s Senate race received an ugly new wrinkle on Tuesday night, thanks to an apparent series of robocalls that seemed to be designed to fan resentments—of the press, of Northerners, and perhaps of Jewish reporters.

Local news station WKRG reported that one of its viewers received a robocall from a man impersonating a reporter. In it, the man offers to pay women thousands of dollars if they’ll make false accusations against Roy Moore, the state’s former chief justice and the Republican candidate to replace Jeff Sessions in the Senate.

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