Likely illegal, AI-generated attack ad depicts Republican Michael Cathcart as a liberal villain

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the news release John Estey authored. He wrote a release from County Treasurer Mike Volz about a man who allegedly assaulted Volz and Whitaker.

No one seems to have the foggiest idea who’s behind the likely illegal attack ad sent through the mail this week to accuse Spokane City Councilman Michael Cathcart, Republican candidate for county auditor, of being a liberal Hollywood villain.

Depicted variably in the seemingly AI-generated ad as the Joker, Hannibal Lecter, Voldemort and Freddy Krueger, the mailer condemns Cathcart as an “ACTOR” – he graduated from college with a motion picture arts degree but has never worked a day of his life as an actor – who has been “ENDORSED BY THE LEFT.

The “LEFT” in question is incumbent Democratic Auditor Vicki Dalton and Spokane City Council President Betsy Wilkerson; Cathcart, again painted up as the Joker, is flanked by two somewhat generic Halloween-esque women with witchy hair and only passing resemblance to the politicians they’re supposed to be depicting. The ad makes no mention of the more than a dozen endorsements Cathcart has garnered from elected Republicans.

The ad also claims Cathcart “LOVES DEI” because he voted to create the city’s Office of Civil Rights, Equity and Inclusion and an equity and inclusion position for city parks, and accused him of being “MASKED UP” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While Jon Bingle stood up for our constitutional rights, Cathcart masked up with the Dems!” the mailer proclaims, referencing when former City Councilman Jonathan Bingle refused to wear a mask in violation of the city’s 2022 mandate. Bingle was censured by the City Council for the refusal; Cathcart was the only council member to join Bingle in voting against that action.

Bingle has endorsed Cathcart’s campaign.

Cartoonish attack ads are nothing new, but this particular mailer goes to great lengths to obscure its origins. There is no disclaimer about who paid for it, no return address, no report with the state Public Disclosure Commission about an independent expenditure, and no bulk mail permit that could indicate who sent the letter. The ad also does not disclose its apparent use of artificial intelligence.

State law generally requires attack ads to give some indication of their origins, and, as of 2023, allows candidates to sue the sponsor of an ad that creates an AI-generated “deepfake” of the candidate without disclosing that technology’s use.

The ad is a sign of the tricky moderate lane where Cathcart finds himself between two opponents in the race for county auditor: Republican Dale Whitaker, who ran unsuccessfully in 2024 for secretary of state, and Democrat Callie Gee.

Several of the attacks made in the ad resemble criticisms against Cathcart levied in a recent news release from County Treasurer Mike Volz about a man who allegedly assaulted Volz and Whitaker, which was written by John Estey, a former Cathy McMorris Rodgers staffer and executive director of the Spokane Good Government Alliance, a conservative political action committee.

Whitaker denied any knowledge of the mailer’s existence before he was contacted by a reporter on Friday. Estey acknowledged he had seen it, but denied having any role in its creation. Gee also said she was unfamiliar with the ad in question.

Spokane County GOP Chair Rob Linebarger joked in an interview that he was a likely suspect “because I get blamed for everything,” but similarly claimed no knowledge of who created the ad. He called it “foolish” for Cathcart to have accepted endorsements from two Democrats, and argued there were no outright lies in the mailer, before acknowledging it was “unconscionable” to not disclose where the ad came from.

Linebarger speculated that it was unlikely the source would ever be discovered, short of its creator accidentally admitting their role.

“Given the quality of this thing, from a marketing perspective, I don’t think the person who did this is an idiot, so I don’t think that is happening,” Linebarger mused.

In an interview, Cathcart said a part of him wanted to embrace the ad, given how over-the-top its depiction was.

“But it’s very disheartening that someone would send something out without disclosure and without standing behind what they’re sending,” he said. “It also looks like someone got a hold of Mom and Dad’s password to their ChatGPT account.”

He also argued his votes were taken out of context and his experience managing budgets and personnel were diminished.

In a text, Bingle wrote that Cathcart was a friend who stood by him on a “number of important issues, including when I was censured and efforts were made to remove me from City Hall.”

“I was proud to endorse Michael Cathcart last year and I stand by my endorsement,” Bingle added.