ICYMI: Brad Schimel Manipulates Photo of Judge Crawford in Shady Attack Ad
MADISON, Wis. — New reporting from the Associated Press and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday revealed far-right politician Brad Schimel deceiving Wisconsinites by manipulating a photo of Judge Susan Crawford in a new attack ad — potentially violating a state law passed on a bipartisan basis by both Republicans and Democrats that requires disclosure when AI-manipulated images are used in political ads.
Brad Schimel’s willingness to manipulate images and facts reveals his desperation to hide his shady record. Schimel is no stranger to rewriting history, having attempted to erase the thousands of rape kits that piled up and went untested under his watch. Once again, Brad Schimel is proving that he is too extreme for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Read more from the Associated Press and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Associated Press: Altered image of Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate in new ad raises ethics concerns
Scott Bauer
A new television attack ad in Wisconsin’s hotly contested Supreme Court race features a doctored image of the liberal candidate, a move that her campaign claims could be a violation of a recently enacted state law.
The image in question is of Susan Crawford, a Dane County circuit court judge. It appeared in a new TV ad paid for by the campaign of her opponent Brad Schimel, a Waukesha County circuit court judge.
The winner of the high-stakes race on April 1 will determine whether the Wisconsin Supreme Court remains under a liberal majority or flips to conservative control.
The Schimel campaign ad begins and ends with a black-and-white image of Crawford with her lips closed together. A nearly identical color image from her 2018 run for Dane County Circuit Court shows Crawford with a wide smile on her face.
Crawford’s campaign accused Schimel of manipulating the image, potentially in violation of a state law enacted last year. The law, passed with bipartisan support in the Legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, requires disclosure if political ads use audio or video content created by generative artificial intelligence. Failure to disclose the use of AI as required can result in a $1,000 fine.
“Schimel will try to manipulate images and the facts because he’s desperate to hide his own record of failure,” Crawford spokesperson Derrick Honeyman said in a statement.
Schimel’s campaign spokesperson Jacob Fischer said the image was “edited” but not created by AI.
Peter Loge, the director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at George Washington University, said images should never be changed to give a false impression.
[…]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Schimel campaign acknowledges altering photo in ad to make opponent Crawford look ‘ashamed’
Alison Dirr and Dan Bice
The campaign for Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel acknowledged Tuesday that it digitally altered a photo of his opponent because the campaign felt she should look “ashamed” in the attack ad.
Schimel, a conservative, and liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford are squaring off April 1 for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The winner will determine the ideological control of the seven-member court.
The ad, released Tuesday on the X account for Schimel’s campaign, shows Crawford with her arms crossed and looking seriously at the camera as a narrator describes a sexual assault case and appeal that spanned the late 1990s and early 2000s. The video accuses Crawford of bungling the case.
Crawford’s spokesman said an image of her in the ad had been doctored from one of her smiling. And he questioned whether alterations were made with artificial intelligence technology that was not disclosed in violation of a bipartisan state law that went into effect in March — an allegation the Schimel campaign denied.
“Schimel will try to manipulate images and the facts because he’s desperate to hide his own record of failure,” said Crawford campaign spokesman Derrick Honeyman.
A Schimel staffer acknowledged the image had been “edited.”
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