DHS plays defense over Disinformation Governance Board
ABC News
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has spent much of this week defending the department's newly established Disinformation Governance Board.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has spent much of this week defending the department's newly established Disinformation Governance Board in response to Republican lawmakers' concerns about partisan influence in federal law enforcement.
The board, according to DHS, was actually created to address privacy concerns that arise with disinformation campaigns when information is shared between departments as well as to ensure it's done appropriately. But the Orwellian name and an admittedly clumsy rollout immediately raised eyebrows as well as ignited a pre-existing debate about free speech and partisanship -- especially given the person tasked with leading the board's activities.
"Given the complete lack of information about this new initiative and the potential serious consequences of a government entity identifying and responding to 'disinformation,' we have serious concerns about the activities of this new Board, particularly under Ms. Jankowicz's leadership," Mike Turner and John Katko, Republican leaders of the House Committee on Homeland Security, wrote in a letter to Mayorkas last week.
In a fact sheet released Monday, the department admits that "there has been confusion about the working group, its role, and its activities" and vows to work on building greater public trust.