Media Releases

After Months of Questions Surrounding the Moss Recording, Troy Mayor and Congressional Candidate Ethan Baker Thoroughly Addresses the Matter, Emphasizing Truth, Respect, and a Voter’s Right to Decide | October 2, 2026

 STATEMENT BY MAYOR ETHAN BAKER

TROY, Mich. — “People throughout Oakland County, as well as many media outlets, have called upon me to share what I know about this matter and what I believe is the truth. I abhor political attacks and bullying, and anything that even resembles it, so this will be said as respectfully, factually, and as thoughtfully as I can. I believe the truth is on my side, and when it matters to the people, leaders have a responsibility to clearly address it. I say this only after listening, seeking to understand, consulting experts, and joining others in publicly condemning hate and personal attacks against my opponent. This statement is my account of what has happened so far.

“I’ve genuinely appreciated any time I’ve spent with Jeremy Moss. I have respect for much of the work he has done. I also have great compassion for him, and from the beginning, I have tried to approach this situation with the same grace and kindness I would hope someone would extend to me.

“We are all human. None of us want to suddenly find ourselves confronted with something unexpected, especially something we fear could be damaging. In those moments, it is understandable to want to protect ourselves, dismiss, deflect or carefully choose our words. I believe most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, can understand that instinct.

“When I was first asked about the recording, I deliberately chose not to make it the center of my campaign. My belief is to always run a positive campaign and focus on what you can bring to the table, not what others aren’t. I believed he deserved the space to decide how he wanted to address it himself.

“When The Daily Caller asked me about it, I offered him the opportunity to explain what he meant. When The Washington Post asked, I again responded with care. I condemned the hatred and the personal attacks that were being directed at him. And I said, again, that Jeremy deserved the opportunity to explain the words in the recording and speak for himself.

“I have tried to leave that door open throughout this campaign because I believe in treating people with dignity, even when we disagree. And I believe we can all agree that the anger and hatred surrounding the recording has been painful and, honestly, damaging to all of us. Division does this. Seeking to understand one another, which is what I’ve tried to do, is always better than adding more anger to an already difficult situation.

“And, there is another side of this that I believe we also have to respect: the people of this district and their concerns about the truth. And they are now voting. Here is a link to the original 25-second post of the recording: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrackAIPAC/s/KOWrseGsY1.

“On balance, Jeremy has described the recording as ‘manipulated and unsourced,’ ‘either stitched and edited together or just a complete fabrication,’ and containing ‘things I never did and never would say.’ To give Jeremy credit, one version online does contain a caption attributing words to him that he did not actually say. That is a legitimate concern; that caption should not be treated as part of the audio. The audio is unsourced because we do not yet know who made the recording, but we have not seen evidence establishing that the audible portions were fabricated or manipulated, nor have those audible portions been clearly refuted.

“The Washington Post reported that experts who examined the publicly available recording found no evidence of manipulation, including AI alteration, AI generation, or splicing. The metadata was consistent with an iPhone recording.

“The Washington Post did not perform a biometric voice match to determine whether the voice in the recording was Jeremy Moss’s. Other voice-authentication experts from across the United States have also reviewed the recording. Most have chosen not to make their findings public, citing the highly political nature of the matter, while others have noted that a longer recording would provide a stronger basis for comparison.

“I have become confident in what I have heard and learned about this recording. One forensic voice expert made an important point: given the political nature of this matter and the limited length of the recording, people should listen to it for themselves. Those who know Jeremy’s voice and speech patterns, or have reliable recordings to compare, may be able to form their own judgment. That would not amount to forensic authentication, but it may help people evaluate the recording and reach their own conclusions.

“The recording includes the statements:

‘And so, honestly, I would say that the entire purpose of my campaign is to make sure America continues to support Israel.’ It also includes: ‘America is not our homeland.’

 “These are among the statements that have prompted questions from people throughout Oakland County.

“The Washington Post specifically asked whether Jeremy denied making statements in the recording including about the ‘entire purpose’ of his campaign. He chose not to answer that specific question or respond to The Washington Post.

“Now, the decision rests with the people of the 11th District. In my opinion, voters deserve to hear the recording for themselves, consider the available responses, consider the responses he has given, look at the available forensic evidence, and decide for themselves what kind of representation they would like in Congress.

“I pray I have written this statement with compassion and care. I do believe voters deserve transparency and honesty from their public officials. I do believe that a congressional candidate shouldn’t make one issue the sole purpose of their campaign, because public service is ultimately about serving the entire community and addressing the challenges that affect people’s everyday lives. Ironically, we are unified in our need for multi-faceted representation, especially here in Oakland County, where we are surrounded by diversity—of thought, race, origin, culture, religion, and socioeconomics. I look forward to continuing conversations with voters across the district, and continuing to listen so that I can represent all voices in Oakland County.”

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www.bakerforcongress.com/mediarelease-october-2-2026