Announced shortly after free-speech advocate Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, DHS’s new ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ seeks to maintain Democrats’ power to censor conservative and dissenting speech, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) tells Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas in a letter published Thursday.
“The Administration that activated the FBI against parents at school board meetings now has created a government Disinformation Board to monitor all Americans’ speech. It’s a disgrace. Joe Biden & Secretary Mayorkas: dissolve this monstrosity immediately,” Hawley tweeted, posting a copy of the letter.
“This new board is almost certainly unconstitutional and should be dissolved immediately,” Sen. Hawley says in the letter to Sec. 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 judgement on the First Amendment speech of its own citizens. Sadly, I was mistaken.
“Rather than protecting our border or the American homeland, you have chosen to make policing Americans' speech your priority. This new board is almost certainly unconstitutional and should be dissolved immediately.”
“Particularly troubling is your choice to lead the new board, Nina Janowicz, a supposed ‘expert’ with a long history of partisan attacks,” Hawley writes.
Hawley cites comments denouncing “free speech absolutists” and “first amendment zealots,” like Elon Musk, Jankowicz made while discussing Musk’s bid to buy Twitter:
“When Elon Musk announced his acquisition of Twitter, she said ‘I shudder to think about if free speech absolutists were taking over more platforms, what that would look like for the marginalized communities…which are already shouldering…disproportionate amounts of this abuse.’
“Jankowicz has even described opponents of social media speech codes as ‘first amendment zealots.’ These statements that question the value of free speech are obviously disqualifying for such a role.”
Last week I told @NPRMichel: I shudder to think about if free speech absolutists were taking over more platforms, what that would look like for the marginalized communities…which are already shouldering…disproportionate amounts of this abuse.” https://t.co/GLqMwC3iYH
— Nina Jankowicz 🇺🇦🇺🇸 (@wiczipedia) April 25, 2022
Democrats and Big Tech are threatened by Musk’s promise to open up Twitter to all voices, so they’re planning to use the Disinformation Governance Board to maintain control of what Americans are allowed to hear and say, Hawley warns:
“While Democrats have for years controlled the public square through their Big Tech allies, Mr. Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has shown just how tenuous that control is.
"It can only be assumed that the sole purpose of this new Disinformation Governance Board will be to marshal the power of the federal government to censor conservative and dissenting speech."
"This is dangerous and un-American. The board should be immediately dissolved," Hawley tells Mayorkas.
The Administration that activated the FBI against parents at school board meetings now has created a government Disinformation Board to monitor all Americans’ speech. It’s a disgrace. Joe Biden & Secretary Mayorkas: dissolve this monstrosity immediately pic.twitter.com/hSnMpREizI
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 28, 2022
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
Editor's Note: This piece was originally published on CNSNews.com
