A pair of Russian pranksters who have targeted several high-profile American politicians claim they called Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders late last year posing as teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg with an offer to support his campaign.
Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov Told the Associated Press the call took place in December 2019. The pair posted an audio recording of the purported call to YouTube on Thursday. The Sanders campaign did not immediately return Fox News’ request to verify whether or not the recording is authentic.
The recording was released more than two months after the call because of Sanders’ success in the Iowa Democratic caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, they said.
On the call, a female pretends to be Thunberg and Stolyarov plays her father, Svante. They offer to lend support to the Vermont senator’s campaign. Sanders suggests “Greta” make a public statement in support of him and that they do an event together the next time she visits the United States.
“Let us continue to talk and when you come to the United States I will bring some people together and we can do some interesting things, and if you wanted to make a statement in support of my candidacy and the program we have outlined for climate change, I would be very very appreciative,” Sanders said.
40+ House Republicans rally behind Markwayne Mullin for DHS, call it a ‘critical moment’ for border security
Biden-appointed judge in the hot seat after DHS fires back at ‘false’ claims about ICE facility
Trump Rejects Biden’s Executive Privilege Claim, Says It’s ‘Not in the Best Interests of the United States’
Police Bodycam Caught Chilling Statement from NYC Terror Suspect After He Was Taken Into Custody
Judge rejects Fani Willis bid to intervene in Trump $17 million reimbursement fight
Savannah Guthrie spotted in NYC as search for missing mother enters sixth week with few answers
Trump, Thune clash on voter ID ultimatum as GOP remains divided on path forward
‘90 Day Fiancé’ alum’s boyfriend on trial for attempted murder over wild ‘Boca Bash’ accusations
Virginia Dems send Spanberger bill that could let some repeat offenders out without secured bond, expert warns
Kai Trump gets heat for bringing Secret Service during Erewhon trip in video
Failson or fanatic? A closer look at Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader
Feds Warn Law Enforcement of Potential Iranian Sleeper Cells Following Discovery of Encrypted Communications
Trump’s Freedom 250 unveils IndyCar racetrack in DC: ‘Imagine these views’
Whistleblower says CBP chief targeted senior staff over ‘political vendettas’
New Details: Alleged IED Throwers in NYC Had Naturalized Parents – IEDs Contained the ‘Mother of Satan’ Explosive, Rep. Roy Calls for Pause on All Legal Immigration
Sanders has been a vocal supporter of tough measures to combat climate change, an issue that has garnered Thunberg worldwide notoriety.
At one point during the exchange, the fake Thunberg proposes to record a hip-hop song with Sanders, singer Billie Eilish and rapper Kanye West.
The pranksters then say they are slated to visit Russia and need advice on how to behave.
“I think what you don’t want to do is simply walk in there and get used,” Sanders said. “Russia and [President Vladimir] Putin has been very bad, as far as I know, on climate change. They have a lot of oil, oil is important for their economy, they make a lot of money on oil.”
The fake Thunberg than tells the senator that he was recruited by the KGB in 1988 when he visited Russia and has since been a “sleeper agent.”
“Now it’s time to wake up and fulfill your mission, become president of the United States, build communism in the United States and work for Russia!” the prankster said before Sanders hung up.
The call is part of the duo’s “Stars Save the Earth” project in which they place calls to politicians and celebrities pretending to be Thunberg.
“Many laugh at Bernie Sanders [and say] that he is a KGB agent and wants to build communism in the U.S. Since he calls himself a democratic socialist, we decided to play up this topic — the topic of Sanders being a recruited Russian agent,” Kuznetsov said.
40+ House Republicans rally behind Markwayne Mullin for DHS, call it a ‘critical moment’ for border security
Biden-appointed judge in the hot seat after DHS fires back at ‘false’ claims about ICE facility
Trump Rejects Biden’s Executive Privilege Claim, Says It’s ‘Not in the Best Interests of the United States’
Police Bodycam Caught Chilling Statement from NYC Terror Suspect After He Was Taken Into Custody
Judge rejects Fani Willis bid to intervene in Trump $17 million reimbursement fight
Savannah Guthrie spotted in NYC as search for missing mother enters sixth week with few answers
Trump, Thune clash on voter ID ultimatum as GOP remains divided on path forward
‘90 Day Fiancé’ alum’s boyfriend on trial for attempted murder over wild ‘Boca Bash’ accusations
Virginia Dems send Spanberger bill that could let some repeat offenders out without secured bond, expert warns
Kai Trump gets heat for bringing Secret Service during Erewhon trip in video
Failson or fanatic? A closer look at Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader
Feds Warn Law Enforcement of Potential Iranian Sleeper Cells Following Discovery of Encrypted Communications
Trump’s Freedom 250 unveils IndyCar racetrack in DC: ‘Imagine these views’
Whistleblower says CBP chief targeted senior staff over ‘political vendettas’
New Details: Alleged IED Throwers in NYC Had Naturalized Parents – IEDs Contained the ‘Mother of Satan’ Explosive, Rep. Roy Calls for Pause on All Legal Immigration
The pair has pranked other U.S. politicians in recent months. They fooled Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last year into thinking he was speaking with Turkey’s defense minister. Graham relayed President Trump’s interest in economic and military cooperation between the U.S. and Turkey.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was a victim in 2018 when the radio shock jocks posed as Andriy Parubiy, the former speaker of Ukraine’s parliament. During the call, Schiff said he would be willing to accept information damaging to Trump.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., was also tricked by the pranksters when she was tricked into thinking she speaking with Thunberg and that she had dirt on Trump.
Story cited here.
