Press Releases
Webster Demands Answers on DHS 'Disinformation Governance Board'
Washington, DC - Florida Congressman Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, and Rep. Scott Franklin along with more than 170 Republican colleagues sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the establishment of its Disinformation Governance Board.
“Congress never authorized the creation of this ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ or appropriate any money for its operation,” said Rep. Webster. “It is completely dystopian on its face and even more so with Nina Jankowicz at its helm. I am vehemently opposed to this board and call on the Administration to dissolve this immediately.”
This letter outlines three primary concerns with the creation of this Board. First, ethical concerns about an organization charged with securing the homeland engaging in activities that could impact speech. Second, Department overreach in authority as a domestically focused organization through the creation of a board that would distract from its existing missions – especially during the ongoing border crisis. Third, concerns surrounding the appointment of Nina Jankowicz, a self-proclaimed “internationally-recognized expert on disinformation” to head the board. Particularly, Ms. Jankowicz’s questionable judgment on matters of disinformation and freedom of speech. For these reasons, the members requested a response from DHS to the following questions thirty days from the date of receipt of this letter.
- Under what legal authority is DHS creating this Disinformation Governance Board?
- What is the Board’s specific directive and mission? What authorities will it have under the Department?
- How does this Board help DHS protect the homeland from threats? Why is DHS putting valuable resources toward a mission that it appears to have no equity in when there is an ongoing crisis at our southern border?
- Why was Ms. Jankowicz chosen to head this Board? Who were the other candidates considered for this position? What qualifications and vetting procedures did the Department utilize when determining who would head up the Disinformation Governance Board?
Full text of the letter can be found here and below.
Dear Secretary Mayorkas,
We write to you to express concerns about the newly created “Disinformation Governance Board” within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which you announced last week. The creation of this Board is problematic for several reasons.
First, we have ethical concerns about an organization charged with securing the homeland engaging in anything that could have an impact on speech. We believe that the Disinformation Governance Board could be utilized as a political tool under the guise of security. This has the potential to severely undermine the American people’s confidence in the Department, especially as we enter the 2022 election season.
Second, the Department’s primary mission sets are countering terrorism, securing the border, securing cyberspace and infrastructure, upholding economic security, strengthening resilience, and strengthening DHS itself. Traditionally, combatting misinformation has been a foreign mission relegated to the elements of the intelligence community with equities in foreign operations. As a domestically focused Department, we are concerned that DHS is overstepping its authority with the creation of this Board. DHS has developed a stalwart reputation as a defender of the homeland primarily because it has focused on these mission sets and has remained non-partisan in achieving them. Implementing something as vague as a “Disinformation Governance Board” will distract from these mission sets and potentially tarnish the non-partisan reputation the Department has developed since its founding.
Additionally, during your testimony last week, you claimed the Biden administration has “effectively managed” the border crisis. Meanwhile, the policies of the current administration have resulted in over 1.5 million border encounters in the last six months, which is the largest in our nation’s history. We are concerned that the Disinformation Governance Board will distract from this crisis.
Third, we are concerned with the appointment of Nina Jankowicz as the head of this Board. Ms. Jankowicz has, on several occasions, displayed questionable judgment on matters of disinformation and freedom of speech. For example, she has expressed support for Christopher Steele, author of the Steele Dossier. This document has long-since been discredited as one of its main sources was charged with five counts of making false statements to the FBI. Ms. Jankowicz has also cast doubt on the Hunter Biden laptop story, which she falsely claimed was “a Trump campaign product.”
For these reasons, we request that you respond to the following questions thirty days from the date of receipt of this letter.
- Under what legal authority is DHS creating this Disinformation Governance Board?
- What is the Board’s specific directive and mission? What authorities will it have under the Department?
- How does this Board help DHS protect the homeland from threats? Why is DHS putting valuable resources toward a mission that it appears to have no equity in when there is an ongoing crisis at our southern border?
- Why was Ms. Jankowicz chosen to head this Board? Who were the other candidates considered for this position? What qualifications and vetting procedures did the Department utilize when determining who would head up the Disinformation Governance Board?
Sincerely,
Co-signers of the letter include: Reps. Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), Steve Scalise (LA-01), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Mike Johnson (LA-04), Richard Hudson (NC-08), Gary Palmer (AL-06), Jim Banks (IN-03), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Yvette Herrell (NM-02), Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), Thomas Massie (KY-04), Michael Cloud (TX-27), Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Lauren Boebert (CO-03), Vicky Hartzler (MO-04), John R. Moolenaar (MI-04), Robert J. Wittman (VA-01), Bill Posey (FL-08), David McKinley, P.E. (WV-01), Ralph Norman (SC-05), August Pfluger (TX-11), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Lisa McClain (MI-10), W. Gregory Steube (FL-17), Clay Higgins (LA-03), Randy Weber (TX-14), Nancy Mace (SC-01), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Rick Crawford (AR-01), Tom McClintock (CA-04), Ted Budd (NC-13), Greg Murphy (NC-03), Jackie Walorski (IN-02), Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Billy Long (MO-07), Fred Keller (PA-12), Stephanie Bice (OK-05), Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Rodney Davis (IL-13), Andy Barr (KY-06), Dan Bishop (NC-09), Madison Cawthorn (NC-11), Jefferson Van Drew (NJ-02), Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Ron Estes (KS-04), Scott DesJarlais (TN-04), Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Barry Moore (AL-02), Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Jody Hice (GA-10), Mike Simpson (ID-02), Brad Wenstrup (OH-02), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), Warren Davidson (OH-08), Pete Stauber (MN-08), Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Ronny L. Jackson (TX-13), Jay Obernolte (CA-08), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), John Joyce (PA-13), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Austin Scott (GA-08), Mary E. Miller (IL-15), Tracey Mann (KS-01), Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01), Thomas P. Tiffany (WI-07), Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26), Jake LaTurner (KS-02), Darin LaHood (IL-18), Ken Buck (CO-04), Mike Carey (OH-15), Kevin Hern (OK-01), Dan Meuser (PA-09), Scott Perry (PA-10), Ben Cline (VA-06), Pete Sessions (TX-17), William R. Timmons IV (SC-04), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Carol D. Miller (WV-03), Robert E. Latta (OH-05), James R. Baird (IN-04), Joe Wilson (SC-02), Bill Johnson (OH-06), Ken Calvert (CA-42), Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Kat Cammack (FL-03), Carlos A. Gimenez (FL-26), Mike Bost (IL-12), Brian Mast (FL-18), Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04), H. Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Mark Amodei (NV-02), Trent Kelly (MS-01), Rick W. Allen (GA-12), Alex X. Mooney (WV-02), Lance Gooden (TX-05), Jodey C. Arrington (TX-19), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Steven M. Palazzo (MS-04), John H. Rutherford (FL-04), Troy E. Nehls (TX-22), Bryan Steil (WI-01), Adrian Smith (NE-03), Roger Williams (TX-25), Dusty Johnson (SD-At Large), Chris Jacobs (NY-27), Neal P. Dunn, M.D. (FL-02), Michael Waltz (FL-06), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Tim Walberg (MI-07), Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (IA-02), Matt Rosendale (MT-At Large), Julia Letlow (LA-05), Bob Good (VA-05), Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-08), Jim Jordan (OH-04), Garret Graves (LA-06), Patrick McHenry (NC-10), Mo Brooks (AL-05), Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Darrell Issa (CA-50), Tim Burchett (TN-02), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Bill Huizenga (MI-02), Greg Pence (IN-06), David G. Valadao (CA-21), Blake Moore (UT-01), Michelle Steel (CA-48), French Hill (AR-02), Troy Balderson (OH-12), David Kustoff (TN-08), Robert B. Aderholt (AL-04), Claudia Tenney (NY-22), Pat Fallon (TX-04), Drew Ferguson (GA-03), Ashley Hinson (IA-01), Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), Jason Smith (MO-08), Tony Gonzales (TX-23), John Katko (NY-24), David P. Joyce (OH-14), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Mike Gallagher (WI-08), Victoria Spartz (IN-05), Michael Guest (MS-03), Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), David Schweikert (AZ-06), Young Kim (CA-39), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Bruce Westerman (AR-04), Andrew R. Garbarino (NY-02), Kevin Brady (TX-08), Mark E. Green, M.D. (TN-07), Trey Hollingsworth (IN-09), Cliff Bentz (OR-02), Mike Garcia (CA-25), Van Taylor (TX-03), Frank D. Lucas (OK-03), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), Brian Babin, D.D.S. (TX-36), Burgess Owens (UT-04), Michael T. McCaul (TX-10), Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), and Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25).
Background
On April 27th, DHS announced the creation of its Disinformation Governance Board, which was to be headed by Jankowicz, who previously worked as a fellow at the Wilson Center. According to a DHS Fact Sheet, the Department is “focused on disinformation that threatens the security of the American people, including disinformation spread by foreign states such as Russia, China, and Iran, or other adversaries such as transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling organizations.” DHS’s primary mission sets are countering terrorism, securing the border, securing cyberspace and infrastructure, upholding economic security, strengthening resilience, and strengthening DHS itself. These mission sets are generally domestically focused. Historically speaking, U.S. government disinformation efforts have been an international focus undertaken by the State Department’s Global Engagement Center and members of the intelligence community.
###