On Monday, Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quietly put an end to its extremely controversial “Disinformation Governance Board,” which had become the target of widespread criticism and mockery upon its announcement back in April.
According to The Blaze, DHS released a statement acknowledging the end of the program that was allegedly intended to combat “disinformation.”
“We have now had briefings on the relevant disinformation-related activities of the Department,” the statement read. “We are not ready, as of yet, to provide recommendations on the Department’s most effective approach to disinformation threats, including commitments to increase transparency and protect civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy. However, at this point, we have concluded that there is no need for a Disinformation Governance Board.”
When the new board was first announced, DHS claimed that its purpose would be to “coordinate countering misinformation related to homeland security, focused specifically on irregular migration and Russia.” But the board quickly drew heavy controversy and widespread ridicule over its name, which elicited comparisons with George Orwell’s dystopian government society in “1984.”
The board was also mocked after the position of chair was initially given to Nina Jankowicz, a far-left activist and author, who herself had previously spread false information with regards to the narrative of “collusion” between the campaign of Donald Trump and the Russian government. Following her appointment, an old TikTok video of hers went viral, in which she mocked President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and others who were calling out the numerous corruption scandals involving the Biden family and foreign business interests; she dismissed all of these claims as disinformation, singing her declarations to the tune of a Mary Poppins song.
Jankowicz ultimately resigned in mid-May, after the initial reports that the board would be shut down due to the backlash. Jankowicz and others in support of her have since claimed, without evidence, that she received numerous death threats, and also that she herself was the target of “disinformation” about the board.