Ethics Complaint Over Manipulated Images In Schimel Ad To Move Forward

MADISON, Wis. – This morning, Judge Susan Crawford’s campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court received notice from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission that a preliminary review of the complaint filed yesterday over an image manipulated by Brad Schimel’s campaign finds sufficient evidence for the Commission to proceed forward on the complaint.

In an email received by Judge Crawford’s campaign, the Commission said “your complaint’s allegations as a whole are sufficient to proceed to consideration by the Commission.”

In response to the Commission proceeding forward on this manipulated image, campaign spokesman Derrick Honeyman released the following statement:

“We are grateful that the Wisconsin Ethics Commission is taking this deceitful and manipulated image seriously. Wisconsinites have long seen Brad Schimel’s shadiness and corruption at play — from giving a plea deal to a child predator after accepting thousands in campaign cash from the man’s lawyer, to letting more than 6,000 rape kits sit untested for two years while victims waited for justice. We urge the Ethics Commission to thoroughly investigate this matter, what platforms and systems the Schimel campaign used to manipulate this image, and determine if it is in violation of 2023 Wisconsin Act 123, which requires disclosure of AI-manipulated images. Wisconsinites deserve better than false advertising using deceptive and artificially altered content.”

The original image, taken in 2016 on the Capitol Square in Madison and used as Judge Crawford’s headshot for several years, shows her with a wide smile. In the Schimel campaign’s newest ad, Judge Crawford’s image has been dishonestly manipulated to show her scowling — potentially in violation of 2023 Wisconsin Act 123, a bipartisan state law requiring transparency in political ads using AI-manipulated images. This complaint is likely the first one filed under the new law and those found in violation face fines of up to $1,000 per instance.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.