Videographer Hank “Planet Hank” Poitras confirmed today that he is being investigated by Attorney General Charity Clark under Vermont’s 2026 Synthetic Media law for a satire video he produced earlier this year.
As first reported by Seven Days, Clark has sent him a warning letter about her investigating him for the video. He said that she says he violated the Synthetic Media Act as a “deep fake media act.” Clark alleged that the video deceptively portrayed Balint.
Poitras said the video was clearly satire. He plans to sue the State over the investigation. “They have no case, and that’s why I’m suing them,” Poitras told VDC today. “We will not allow them to infringe on my or anyone else’s free speech rights. This is a law to protect incumbent politicians. It makes it so that I cannot criticize a politician.”
Republican candidate for Congress Mark Coester called out the AG’s action. “Communist Becca Balint cried and sicced her dog the UnCharitable Clark on a Marine [Poitras] to attack his First Amendment rights,” he said in an email to VDC this morning.
Editor’s note: Hank should hook up with a national pro bono First Amendment legal team and take this as far as it has to go to get the Vermont Law overturned.
