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Two Trump-loving conspiracy theorists who tried to suppress the Black vote with false and intimidating robocalls ahead of the 2020 have been hit with a $5.1 million fine for their actions, the Federal Communications Commission has announced.
This is a textbook example of playing yourself: breaking the law while trying to swing an election in your chosen candidate’s favor, losing said election, and then having to pay a massive sum of money after the fact.
And it’s the precise scenario Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman find themselves in.
Last fall, both men pleaded guilty to telecommunications fraud. In their multistate scheme, recorded calls went to residents in largely Black neighborhoods. The voices on the robocalls floated potential legal or financial ramifications for residents who voted by mail, in an apparent effort to deter voters who were statistically more likely to vote for Joe Biden.
“This penalty emphasizes the seriousness with which we take our obligations to protect American consumers, and in this instance American voters, from being targeted through the clear and illegal misuse of U.S. communications networks,” FCC enforcement chief Loyaan A. Egal said in a news release. “We commend our law enforcement partners for bringing Burkman and Wohl to justice for their actions, and we will continue our efforts to make it clear that there are significant consequences for engaging in this type of conduct.”
As I noted in March, a federal judge in New York ruled that Wohl and Burkman had violated the Ku Klux Klan Act, a 19th-century law that protects people from political intimidation.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. And yes, to the common person $5 million dollars may seem like a lot of money. But surely, Trump will pay it for them … right?
At best, I imagine Burkman and Wohl will get an awkward hug from Trump out of it, or maybe a poorly produced song on iTunes.
They’d better hope that song streams like crazy, though. It’ll have to if they hope to put a dent in that fine.