Samuel Case, FISM News
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Col.) has authored a new bill aimed at disbanding the Department of Homeland Security’s Disinformation Governance Board, which conservatives have widely branded as the “Ministry of Truth” in reference to George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984. “
The “Ministry of Truth Termination Act” looks to “terminate the Disinformation Governance Board of the Department of Homeland Security and to prohibit the use of Federal funds to establish any similar Board, and for other purposes.”
“Now is when we the people make our voices heard,” Boebert said in a video statement on Friday. “We will not accept being called domestic terrorists for showing up to school boards and we sure as heck won’t be allowing these corrupt bureaucrats to create a ‘Ministry of Truth’ to gaslight the American people.”
Secretary Mayorkas is a traitor to the Constitution.
Impeach him.
Pass my bill.
Save free speech. pic.twitter.com/3DtdjRak6Z
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) April 29, 2022
Boebert added that congressional Republicans will impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who she called a “tyrant.” House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal.) has similarly suggested that should Republicans retake the House in November they may impeach Mayorkas over his failure to secure the border.
Last week Mayorkas announced that the Biden administration had formed a Disinformation Governance Board, which will be headed by Nina Jankowicz of the Wilson Center. Jankowicz said in a tweet that “one of the key reasons the Board was established, is to maintain the Dept’s committment [sic] to protecting free speech, privacy, civil rights, & civil liberties.”
Secretary Mayorkas dismissed Republican criticisms of the board being Orwellian during a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Those criticisms are precisely the opposite of what this small working group within the Department of Homeland Security will do,” Mayorkas told host Dana Bash. “And I think we probably could have done a better job of communicating what it does and does not do. The fact is that disinformation that creates a threat to the security of the homeland is our responsibility to address. And this department has been addressing it for years.”
Mayorkas told Bash that the board would be focused on disinformation campaigns from foreign actors, such as Russia and China. “[The board] works to ensure that the way in which we address threats, the connectivity between threats and acts of violence are addressed without infringing on free speech,” he said.
Mayorkas went on to say that American citizens will not be monitored. When asked if he can guarantee that American citizens will not be monitored, he said “We in the Department of Homeland Security don’t monitor American citizens,” adding that “the Board does not have any operational authority or capability.” The secretary further said he is not concerned about being impeached when asked about Kevin McCarthy’s recent threats.
In February the DHS declared a “heightened threat environment” in its National Terrorism Advisory memo saying that individuals are purposefully seeking “to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions.” The advisory cited “an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information (MDM) introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors,” as reason for the increased threat level.