Rep. Lauren Boebert (Republican from Colorado) has introduced legislation to stop a new Department of Homeland Security board that is designed to investigate misinformation.
Boebert’s legislation would eliminate the “Disinformation Governance board” and ensure that the federal government does not have any role in determining truth for Americans.
“This type of stuff is frightening. Congress has the power to control the purse. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Boebert stated that it was our responsibility to close down the department immediately. “I am calling upon the Republican Party’s leadership — Leader [Kevin] McCarthy and Whip [Steve] Scalise — to join me in demanding that this department be closed down and defunded.”
McCarthy representatives did not immediately reply to Boebert’s question about whether McCarthy supports this bill or attempts to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Scalise supports Boebert’s bill.
McCarthy and Scalise signed a letter recently questioning Mayorkas’ suitability to office, but did not specifically mention impeachment.
According to the Associated Press, the issue is a Disinformation Governance Board. DHS claims it will combat disinformation from Russia as well as misinformation circulated to migrants by human smugglers. Nina Jankowicz will be the board’s executive director. She was previously a Wilson Center disinformation fellow.
Republicans, already wary of censorship after Big Tech’s attempts to close down the New York Post’s story about Hunter Biden’s laptop that was published by Democrats as Russian disinformation, were shocked at the creation of the new department.
Boebert stated that no tax dollars should be used to place Biden’s federal government power to silence truthful stories, like Big Tech did with Hunter Biden.
Boebert likened the government surveillance effort to George Orwell’s novel “1984”
She said, “Democrats did not take that book as a warning but as a guide.”
Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, defended Jankowicz and the Disinformation Governance Board. Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News White House correspondent, said that Jankowicz’s efforts are a continuation of work done by former President Trump.
Psaki stated that “we know there has been an array of [disinformation] outthere about a variety of topics, I mean COVID for instance, as well as elections and eligibility.”
Jankowicz was described by Psaki as “an expert in online disinformation”, and she claimed that she has “a lot of qualifications.”
Jankowicz suggested that Hunter Biden’s laptop was a Russian influence op during the 2020 presidential elections. This has been confirmed by multiple media outlets.
Jankowicz replied to her Wednesday comment by retweeting it. She claimed that she was just live-tweeting Trump and Biden’s presidential debate.
Boebert is currently collecting cosponsors to her legislation and plans on formally introducing it next week.
