Carpenter, whose political views appear to span the spectrum from pro–conspiracy theory to anti–Donald Trump, says he and Kramer met through a mutual acquaintance. He provided NBC with texts, emails, and Venmo payment receipts detailing their relationship.
Kramer first hired Carpenter in September to make two A.I. recordings of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. In January, Kramer asked Carpenter for the fake recording of Biden. Carpenter told NBC he had never heard of Phillips. Instead, he believed Kramer was working for Graham and Biden, and that their campaigns had authorized the voice projects.
Kramer’s father, Bruce, paid Carpenter $150 via the electronic payment platform Venmo for the Biden deepfake. It is not clear why Kramer had his father send the payment.