A U.S. congressman from Virginia Wednesday celebrated the pause of the creation of a federal government “Disinformation Governance Board,” which was marred by controversy from its inception.
“Victory for free speech: the Biden Administration is not proceeding with its Ministry of Truth. As a co-sponsor of [House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23)]’s bill to defund the so-called DHS Disinformation Governance Board, I welcome this news. I will stay vigilant against threats to the First Amendment,” said Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-09).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in April, during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, the creation of the governance board, dubbed by some to be a “ministry of truth.”
The board, the fate of which remains uncertain, was created under the premise of national security.
“Disinformation, which is false information that is deliberately spread with the intent to deceive or mislead, can take many forms,” DHS said in a statement. “When it comes to DHS’s work, the Department is focused on disinformation that threatens the security of the American people, including disinformation spread by foreign states such as Russia, China, and Iran, or other adversaries such as transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling organizations. Such malicious actors often spread disinformation to exploit vulnerable individuals and the American public, including during national emergencies.”
But the board’s appointed leader, Nina Jancowicz, was quickly proven to be a hyper-partisan leftist, raising concerns that she would use her position of power to silence conservative speech.
She often spread disinformation herself, including the statement that Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop was the work of Russian agents who intended to interfere in the United States’ 2020 presidential election.
Back on the "laptop from hell," apparently- Biden notes 50 former natsec officials and 5 former CIA heads that believe the laptop is a Russian influence op.
Trump says "Russia, Russia, Russia."
— Nina Jankowicz (@wiczipedia) October 23, 2020
She said the “[intelligence community] has a high degree of confidence that the Kremlin used proxies to push influence narratives, including misleading or unsubstantiated claims about President Biden, to U.S. media, officials, and influencers, some close to President Trump.”
She even made comments questioning the merits of freedom of speech, saying that she “shudders to think about if free speech absolutists were taking over more platforms, what that would look like for the marginalized communities.”
Whether the board will be resurrected under different leadership remains unclear.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Morgan Griffith” by Morgan Griffith.
