Conservative operatives Jacob Wohl, Jack Burkman charged in Michigan in connection with false robocalls

Two right-wing operatives with a history of spreading hoaxes and misinformation have been charged in allegedly attempting to suppress the vote in Michigan using robocalls, state Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) announced Thursday.

Nessel’s office charged Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman with one count each of voter intimidation, conspiracy to commit an election law violation, using a computer to intimidate voters and using a computer to commit conspiracy.

The attorney general’s office said the two targeted voters in heavily Democratic urban areas such as Detroit with robocalls attempting to dissuade residents from voting in the November election.

Wohl is a Los Angeles resident while Burkman is a resident of Arlington, Va. Nessel’s office said it is not yet clear whether they will need to be formally extradited to Michigan.

Her office said the attorney general had communicated with the attorneys general of Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York and that all reported similar robocalls, also targeting largely minority areas.

“Any effort to interfere with, intimidate or intentionally mislead Michigan voters will be met with swift and severe consequences,” Nessel said. “This effort specifically targeted minority voters in an attempt to deter them from voting in the November election. We’re all well aware of the frustrations caused by the millions of nuisance robocalls flooding our cell phones and landlines each day, but this particular message poses grave consequences for our democracy and the principles upon which it was built. Michigan voters are entitled to a full, free and fair election in November and my office will not hesitate to pursue those who jeopardize that.”

Wohl and Burkman have previously promoted an unsubstantiated hoax accusing then-presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) of a sadomasochistic relationship with a younger man. The two have also attempted to manufacture sexual assault allegations against several public figures, including former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), former special counsel Robert Mueller and infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci.