It is disturbing enough that American democracy is being threatened by disinformation, the proliferation of which is facilitated by the shadier side of modern technology – phony websites, social-media bots, manipulated video and audio, digitally fabricated “deepfakes.” How painful to be reminded that among the bad actors spreading such chaos and division are prominent elected officials sworn to serve the public.
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, recently shared a video clip featuring Ady Barkan, a progressive activist, asking Joe Biden, “Do we agree that we can redirect some of the funding for police?” To which Biden responded, “Yes, absolutely.”
Except that Barkan, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and communicates with the aid of a computerized voice, had not included the words “for police” in his question. Those were spliced in by Scalise’s team, making it seem as though Biden was expressing direct support for defunding the police – something he explicitly opposes, no matter how loudly Republicans claim otherwise. Biden’s criminal justice plan, in fact, includes $300 million in additional funding for police departments.
Outraged by the violation, Barkan called out the congressman. “@SteveScalise, These are not my words,” he tweeted Sunday afternoon. “I have lost my ability to speak, but not my agency or my thoughts. You and your team have doctored my words for your own political gain. Please remove this video immediately. You owe the entire disability community an apology.”
It is one thing for Russian trolls or shadowy political groups to manipulate videos with an eye toward misleading American voters. For a sitting lawmaker – the No. 2 Republican in the House, no less – to do so is inexcusable.