Obama Asks TV Stations to Stop Anti-Biden Ads in His Voice

Former President Barack Obama asked TV stations on Wednesday to stop airing ads featuring his voice over on-screen attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden.

The ads, which aim to depress African-American votes in Saturday’s South Carolina Democratic primary, are funded by the pro-Donald Trump super PAC Committee to Defend the President. They began appearing Tuesday in the state, where Biden is relying on a strong showing to revive his struggling campaign.

In the ads, a clip from Obama’s reading of his 1995 memoir “Dreams from My Father” is paired with unfavorable media quotes about Biden’s record on race.

“This despicable ad is straight out of the Republican disinformation playbook, and it’s clearly designed to suppress turnout among minority voters in South Carolina by taking President Obama’s voice out of context and twisting his words to mislead viewers,” Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill said in a statement. “In the interest of truth in advertising, we are calling on TV stations to take this ad down and stop playing into the hands of bad actors who seek to sow division and confusion among the electorate.”