Rebecca Cooke's Team Sends GOP Opponent Cease-And-Desist Over AI Videos
Cooke’s lawyers challenged an AI video that attributed fabricated remarks to her.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYPatch is an established local-news publisher, and this article identifies its author. It cites reporting by other outlets for several details, but shows no indication that the article itself was reproduced.
- Source type — A local-news outlet with a recognizable regional publishing operation.
- Author attribution — The article names William Bornhoft as its author.
- Source diversity — The article attributes details to Wisconsin Public Radio, WEAU and The Center Square.
The article provides specific details and attributes claims to the campaign, its lawyers and other outlets. It includes Van Orden’s response, but offers little independent verification or fuller explanation of his position on the allegations.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article reports Cooke’s allegation and Van Orden’s response, including his public criticism of her. It does not provide a fuller account of Van Orden’s explanation or independent analysis of the video.
- Counterarguments presented — Van Orden’s response is included, though it does not directly explain the disputed video’s content.
- Source diversity — Details are attributed to several outside outlets, Cooke, her attorneys and Van Orden.
- Omitted context — The article gives limited context about the video’s creation and Van Orden’s account of it.
Political lean of this article's coverage based on language, topic selection, and framing. 0 = far left, 50 = center, 100 = far right.
- Language tone — Mostly matter-of-fact, with claims attributed to the letter, Cooke and Van Orden.
- Source selection — The article cites multiple reporting outlets and includes statements from both campaigns’ sides.
Lawyers for Democratic House candidate Rebecca Cooke sent Rep. Derrick Van Orden a cease-and-desist letter over an AI video that attributed fabricated remarks to her. Van Orden responded with another AI video and criticized Cooke as the two face each other in a closely watched Wisconsin race.
Lawyers for Rebecca Cooke, who is challenging Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, sent him a cease-and-desist letter over an AI-generated video he shared on X on Aug. 4. The letter called the clip fiction, and Cooke’s attorneys said she never made the statements attributed to her. The video depicted an AI-generated Cooke saying she wanted to take advantage of corruption and provide free health care to undocumented immigrants.
Cooke accused Van Orden of using AI videos to put words in her mouth and misrepresent her policy views. The article says Van Orden responded to the letter with another AI video, featuring a red duck, and wrote that Cooke “had no shame and cannot be trusted.”
Community verdict
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SWIPE →Democratic House candidate whose lawyers sent Van Orden a cease-and-desist letter
Republican representative and Cooke’s opponent, who shared AI videos and criticized her
Van Orden's version of this story ↗Former president depicted as an AI-generated figure in the video
Part of a bigger story
11 OUTLETSThe outlets agree that Cooke sent Van Orden a cease-and-desist letter over AI-generated videos that she says falsely attributed statements to her. Left-leaning outlets emphasize Cooke’s effort to challenge videos she says misrepresented her, while one article omits Van Orden’s direct response. Center outlets generally use restrained wording, recount Cooke’s claims alongside responses from Van Orden or his campaign, and sometimes add legal context.
- ARTICLES
- 11
- OUTLETS
- 11
- AVG CRED
- 74
- Truthout · Dem Candidate Sends "Cease and Desist" Order to Republican Over Deepfake Ads
- Axios · AI campaign deepfakes are starting to draw legal threats
- Civic Media · Legal counsel representing democratic candidate Rebecca Cooke has issued a formal cease and desist letter to U.S. Representative Derrick Van Orden
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