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.
Florida GOP gubernatorial primary candidate says as governor, he’d ‘shut down’ every abortion clinic in state
Trump’s DOJ pick in trouble as GOP concerns threaten confirmation
Trump Provides Update After US Army Helicopter Goes Down Near Strait of Hormuz
Charlotte train stabbing suspect dodges potential death penalty for now after he’s ruled incompetent
VIDEOS: Mamdani’s Knicks Party Descends Into Violence, Pandemonium With Cops Forced to Use Pepper Spray to Restore Order
Bombshell claims by former campaign director rock Platner’s campaign hours before polls open
Watch: NY Knicks Fans Desecrate National Anthem to Spite Trump
Utah prosecutors ask judge to shut down delay tactics in Charlie Kirk assassination case
Four Armed Teens Try To Carjack Marine Vet: It Doesn’t End Well for Them
Trump’s SAVE America Act shows signs of life in the Senate despite Republican revolt
EPA And Private Business Helps LA Wildfire Survivors Where City Won’t
GOP grows antsy over Trump intel pick as Democrats vow spy powers revolt
75-Year-Old Nabbed at Border With Half a Million in Hard Narcotics
US Army helicopter goes down, but President Donald Trump says ‘pilots are fine’
GOP lawmaker warns voters that Platner’s ‘extreme’ policies just as concerning as his baggage: ‘Stay away’
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.
Florida GOP gubernatorial primary candidate says as governor, he’d ‘shut down’ every abortion clinic in state
Trump’s DOJ pick in trouble as GOP concerns threaten confirmation
Trump Provides Update After US Army Helicopter Goes Down Near Strait of Hormuz
Charlotte train stabbing suspect dodges potential death penalty for now after he’s ruled incompetent
VIDEOS: Mamdani’s Knicks Party Descends Into Violence, Pandemonium With Cops Forced to Use Pepper Spray to Restore Order
Bombshell claims by former campaign director rock Platner’s campaign hours before polls open
Watch: NY Knicks Fans Desecrate National Anthem to Spite Trump
Utah prosecutors ask judge to shut down delay tactics in Charlie Kirk assassination case
Four Armed Teens Try To Carjack Marine Vet: It Doesn’t End Well for Them
Trump’s SAVE America Act shows signs of life in the Senate despite Republican revolt
EPA And Private Business Helps LA Wildfire Survivors Where City Won’t
GOP grows antsy over Trump intel pick as Democrats vow spy powers revolt
75-Year-Old Nabbed at Border With Half a Million in Hard Narcotics
US Army helicopter goes down, but President Donald Trump says ‘pilots are fine’
GOP lawmaker warns voters that Platner’s ‘extreme’ policies just as concerning as his baggage: ‘Stay away’
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.
