Biden State Department criticized for missing ‘disinformation’ documents deadline: ‘Unacceptable’
House Republicans Demand Unredacted Grant Records to Expose Government Funding of Online Speech Targeting Conservatives
House Republicans are intensifying their efforts to obtain “unredacted” grant records from the Biden administration, dating back to 2019. Their goal is to shed light on the government’s funding of groups that specifically target conservative speech online. Chairman Roger Williams (R-TX) of the Small Business Committee and Chairwoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) of its Oversight Subcommittee initially requested these records in June from the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC). The GEC, which granted $100,000 in 2021 to the Global Disinformation Index, has failed to fulfill the request within the given timeframe. As a result, Williams and Van Duyne are reiterating their demand and emphasizing that the government has ”no excuse” for withholding these documents.
Republicans Seek Transparency on Global Engagement Center Funding
In their letter to GEC special envoy and coordinator James P. Rubin, the Republicans stated, “This committee wishes to understand the use of any Global Engagement Center funding of entities whose actions have resulted in small businesses’ loss of economic opportunities from the freedom of engaging in uncensored speech on online platforms.” The lawmakers had previously set a June 21 deadline for the records, but the GEC has failed to provide an update on the status of the response. The initial letter referenced several Washington Examiner stories that highlighted how the Global Disinformation Index has covertly pressured advertisers to defund conservative websites. Additionally, the GDI received approximately $860,000 between 2020 and 2022 from the National Endowment for Democracy.
Continued Efforts to Investigate Government Ties to Online Speech Suppression
This recent request by congressional Republicans is part of their ongoing investigation into the federal government’s connections to entities that aim to suppress speech online. In June, a U.S. appeals court temporarily blocked a lower court’s preliminary injunction that restricted the Biden administration from contacting social media companies to flag instances of alleged “misinformation.” The GOP has expressed concerns about censorship, particularly after documents related to the Freedom of Information Act and the lawsuit Missouri v. Biden revealed federal officials’ involvement in urging platforms like Twitter to remove posts on topics such as COVID-19.
Scrutiny of the Global Engagement Center
The GEC has faced multiple congressional investigations this year due to its associations with “disinformation” and “misinformation” tracking. Its reauthorization in 2024 is currently under consideration by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which is leaning towards not renewing it due to the center’s failure to fulfill its duties. Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and other Republicans on the committee initiated these investigations following Washington Examiner reports on the Global Disinformation Index. In September 2022, the State Department’s inspector general released a report criticizing the GEC for its inadequate vetting of how foreign entities used taxpayer dollars and its insufficient efforts to counter foreign threats.
Implications for Businesses and the First Amendment
The Small Business Committee argues that the GEC’s connections to “disinformation” have resulted in businesses losing revenue and potentially infringe on First Amendment rights. In late May, the State Department expressed its support for the GEC when questioned by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). However, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) subpoenaed James Rubin, the GEC’s representative, in April over allegations of coordination with Big Tech and censorship of opposing views. Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans are seeking access to a range of records from the State Department regarding the GEC’s grants related to disinformation tracking in recent years.
The Republicans concluded their letter by emphasizing the timeliness and importance of their request for unredacted grant records from the Global Engagement Center.
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