EXCLUSIVE: Amidst Pause, House Republicans Make Big Move To Get To The Bottom Of Disinformation Governance Board

Republican Ohio Rep. Dave Joyce introduced a resolution Thursday to find out all information about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recently paused “Disinformation Governance Board,” which was set to be led by Nina Jankowicz.

The Daily Caller first obtained the resolution, which Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds has co-sponsored. The resolution was introduced after Jankowicz drafted a resignation letter Tuesday. It calls for copies of all documents, memoranda, advisory legal opinions, notes from meetings, audio recordings, records (including phone calls and email records), correspondence, and other communications, or any portion of any such communications that have to do with the “Disinformation Governance Board.”

The resolution seeks to help lawmakers get to the bottom of how the idea of a “Disinformation Governance Board” was created, who decided who would run it and more. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Introduce Legislation To Defund Biden’s Disinformation Board)

“Like many back home in Northeast Ohio, I was alarmed when the Biden Administration announced its Disinformation Governance Board and have been appalled by the lack of transparency surrounding it,” Joyce told the Daily Caller before introducing the resolution.

READ THE RESOLUTION HERE: 

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers

“While I welcome the news that the Board has been paused, the Administration hasn’t provided the American people with any information on how long this pause will last, let alone how the Board was created, which specific activities it is intended to conduct, or what prevents the Board from violating the Constitution. I’m proud to introduce a Resolution of Inquiry to demand answers from the Biden Administration on this un-American creation. We cannot allow the federal government to undermine the First Amendment with political tools that referee free speech,” Joyce added. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Blackburn, Trump Intelligence Officer Warn Biden’s Disinformation Board Will Come After Conservatives)

Jankowicz attempted to discredit the Hunter Biden laptop story in the past and was set to be in charge of the DHS disinformation board. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson sent a letter April 27 to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying Jankowicz is a “beacon of misinformation online” and mentioning that she has published multiple tweets “furthering the false media narrative” about the Hunter Biden laptop. (RELATED: Biden’s New Truth Czar Talks A Lot About ‘Disinformation Laundering.’ And Here She Is Committing That Very Sin)

Both The Washington Post and The New York Times noted the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop in March 2022, more than a year after the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) first verified it on Oct. 29, 2020. The DCNF obtained a full copy of Hunter Biden’s alleged laptop from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2020 and had the emails forensically verified as real.

Just days before the DCNF verified the authenticity of the laptop, Jankowicz tweeted about the laptop, saying it “is a Russian influence op.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Johnson Calls For Answers From DHS Over Biden’s ‘Disinformation’ Board, Slams Nina Jankowicz)

“The Biden administration’s attempt to alter and control the ideology of truth is undoubtedly a threat to our Constitution, freedom of speech, and our republic,” Donalds told the Daily Caller before the resolution was introduced.

“The creation of the Disinformation Governance Board — even with the recently announced temporary pause — will prove to be volatile and detrimental to civilized political discourse in our nation. I’m proud to join Rep. Joyce in this House Resolution of Inquiry to uncover this administration’s intent of the Board, activities of the Board, and what censorship mechanisms will be put in place when monitoring free-thinking Americans,” Donalds continued.

During the second presidential debate, Jankowicz sent out a tweet which said that Biden cited “50 former natsec officials and 5 former CIA heads that believe the laptop is a Russian influence op.”

In a tweet from December 2017, Jankowicz also claimed the Steele dossier, which has been totally discredited, was funded by Republicans. Christopher Steele, the dossier’s author, was never funded by Republicans. The Washington Post reported in October 2017 that Marc E. Elias, a lawyer for the Clinton campaign and DNC, and his law firm, Perkins Coie, hired Fusion GPS last April to investigate Donald Trump — something Jankowicz failed to mention.

The DHS announced the board will be under review and on a “pause.” However, the department hired former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and former U.S. Deputy Secretary General Jamie Gorelick under former President Bill Clinton to be the ones leading the review.

Chertoff has reportedly pushed disinformation about Hunter Biden’s laptop, putting the blame on Russia, and Gorelick worked for the Clinton administration and was also a member of the 9/11 Commission. (RELATED: The Clownish Disinfo Czar Got The Boot, But Biden’s ‘Ministry Of Truth’ Hired Monster Replacements)

Jankowicz is currently a fellow at the Wilson Center. On her website, she calls herself an “internationally-recognized expert on disinformation and democratization.”

The Daily Caller contacted DHS and Jankowicz about her resignation and the resolution, to which a DHS spokesperson said:

“DHS created an internal working group called the Disinformation Governance Board to ensure the Department’s disinformation-related work protects free speech, civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy. It was intended to ensure coordination across the Department’s component agencies as they protect Americans from disinformation that threatens the homeland – including malicious efforts spread by foreign adversaries, human traffickers, and transnational criminal organizations. The Board has been grossly and intentionally mischaracterized: it was never about censorship or policing speech in any manner. It was designed to ensure we fulfill our mission to protect the homeland, while protecting core Constitutional rights. However, false attacks have become a significant distraction from the Department’s vitally important work to combat disinformation that threatens the safety and security of the American people.”

“To help instill trust in our work, Secretary Mayorkas has asked former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick to lead a thorough review and assessment, conducted through the bipartisan Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).  This assessment will focus on answering two pivotal questions,” the spokesperson added. “First, how can the Department most effectively and appropriately address disinformation that poses a threat to our country, while protecting free speech, civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy. Second, how can DHS achieve greater transparency across our disinformation-related work and increase trust with the public and other key stakeholders. The Secretary has requested the HSAC’s final recommendations within 75 days. During the HSAC’s review, the Board will not convene and its work will be paused, but the Department’s critical work across several administrations to address disinformation that threatens the security of our country will continue.”

Jankowicz provided the following statement to the Caller:

“After six years dedicated to the study of disinformation and best practices in responding to it, I joined the Department of Homeland Security to be the executive director of the Disinformation Governance Board with the intention of supporting the Department’s important work addressing disinformation that affects the homeland. With the Board’s work paused and its future uncertain, and I have decided to leave DHS to return to my work in the public sphere. It is deeply disappointing that mischaracterizations of the Board became a distraction from the Department’s vital work, and indeed, along with recent events globally and nationally, embodies why it is necessary. I maintain my commitment to building awareness of disinformation’s threats and trust the Department will do the same.”

Another DHS spokesperson added this statement to the Caller:

“The Board’s purpose has been grossly and intentionally mischaracterized: it was never about censorship or policing speech in any manner. Quite the opposite: it was designed to ensure we fulfill our mission to protect the homeland, while protecting core Constitutional rights.  As its executive director, Nina Jankowicz was subjected to unjustified and vile personal attacks and physical threats. As the Secretary has repeatedly said in Congressional hearings and in media interviews, Nina is eminently qualified to do this work. We know she will continue to be a leader in this field. DHS remains committed to the important work it has done for nearly a decade to combat disinformation that threatens the homeland, including disinformation spread by smugglers and foreign nation states.”

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