'Bernie Bernstein' Alabama Robocall Seeks Damaging Comments About Roy Moore
A robocall in Alabama using the name “Bernie Bernstein” is claiming to be a Washington Post reporter seeking “damaging remarks” about Roy Moore from state residents.
Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron released a statement Tuesday evening saying the calls are fake and don’t reflect the journalistic standards of the paper’s reporters. “Bernie Bernstein” immediately began trending on Twitter, with many criticizing the overtly Jewish name being used on the robocall to Alabama residents. The U.S. Senate race between Moore and Democrat Doug Jones has received national attention since the Post first reported a story on Moore’s alleged past relationships with teenagers.
“The Post has just learned that at least one person in Alabama has received a call from someone falsely claiming to be from The Washington Post. The call’s description of our reporting methods bears no relationship to reality. We are shocked and appalled that anyone would stoop to this level to discredit real journalism,” wrote Baron, in a statement.
A voicemail message from the purported robocall to Pastor Al Moore was transcribed by WKRG-TV:
“Hi, this is Bernie Bernstein, I’m a reporter for the Washington Post calling to find out if anyone at this address is a female between the ages of 54 to 57 years old willing to make damaging remarks about candidate Roy Moore for a reward of between $5000 and $7000 dollars. We will not be fully investigating these claims however we will make a written report. I can be reached by email at albernstein@washingtonpost.com, thank you.”
Responses from Moore and others to the provided email address have come back “undeliverable” and John Rogers of the Roy Moore campaign said they had no idea who is behind the calls.
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