Conservatives are slamming the Biden administration after the announcement that a “Disinformation Governance Board” is being established to police the internet for “disinformation” leading up to the 2022 midterms in a move conservatives refer to as “Orwellian.”
Homeland Security Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified that days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchased Twitter, the Biden Administration created the Disinformation Governance Board to combat online disinformation.
The board will be led by principal deputy general counsel Jennifer Gaskill and Undersecretary for Policy Rob Silvers.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas spoke about the new Disinformation Governance Board before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee.
“The goal is to bring the resources of (DHS) together to address this threat,” said Mayorkas. He added that the department is mainly focused on the spread of disinformation in minority communities.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri said the board is a “disgrace” and penned a letter to Mayorkas demanding how the board operates.
“Is there anything more dystopian than a Disinformation Governance Board run by the federal government?” tweeted Florida Republican congressional candidate Dr. Willie J. Montague, adding a later tweet that the board is “Orwellian.”
Texas Republican Congressman Troy Nehls tweeted, “They didn’t need a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ until @elonmusk threatened their control over the narrative.”
“The libs spent the last weeks planting the seeds for the backup plan in case the Twitter deal actually happened,” tweeted Republican Congressman Lauren Boebert.
“Today’s news of a Biden-backed ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ is dystopian. They can’t afford to let the truth be anything but what they say.”
Denier of Hunter Biden scandal to lead board
Former disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, Nina Jankowicz, will head the Disinformation Governance Board as executive director.
During the 2020 presidential election, Jankowicz suggested that Hunter Biden’s laptop was a “Russian influence op,” which has been verified by multiple media outlets.
Elon Musk said the creation of Biden’s new “disinformation” board is “discomforting” after the president tapped Jankowicz, who Musk referred to as a Russian misinformation “expert,” to lead the board.
Republicans blasted the choice of Jankowicz to head the board, claiming she has shown bias, particularly when casting doubt on Hunter Biden’s laptop scandal, calling it a “Trump campaign product.”
Senator Hawley voiced concern and said the board should be dissolved before it even has a chance to start.
“I write with deep concern about the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to create a new Disinformation Governance Board,” he wrote to Secretary Mayorkas.
“I confess, I at first thought this announcement was satire. Surely, no American Administration would ever use the power of Government to sit in judgment on the First Amendment speech of its own citizens. Sadly, I was mistaken.”
Hawley demanded that the DHS provide further information about the board, including how it will work and be monitored.
The senator was also questioned why the announcement was made right after Musk acquired Twitter, which he vowed to create a free speech platform with all ideas permitted.
Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson also sent a statement against the board’s formation.
“The Biden Administration has not proven itself to be a credible arbiter of ‘disinformation.’ Instead, it has taken steps to silence information that is unflattering to this Administration under the guise of ‘disinformation,’ wrote Johnson.
“For example, unnamed intelligence officials, the media, and social media platforms engaged in a coordinated effort to censor stories about Hunter Biden’s laptop and his questionable financial dealings under the false label of ‘disinformation.'”
Johnson continued, “I am concerned DHS’s Disinformation Board will only serve to silence or censor those voices critical of your disastrous policies and serve a political cover for your failure to secure the border.”
Mayorkas explained that the board would work to tackle disinformation leading up to the November midterms, especially in Hispanic communities, while not disclosing any powers granted to the board.
For his part, Musk isn’t backing down. After his purchase of Twitter was approved, he wrote, “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”
