OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump is furious with President Joe Biden’s Disinformation Governance Board that some have called the Ministry of Truth.
He said, in an interview with CBN, that the board was a ”horrible idea” and that he could not believe ”that we’re talking about this subject,” Newsmax reported.
“Now they’re saying, ‘Oh, no, it’s just a recommendation.’ That’s where it all began. I guess that’s what they used to say in Russia,” the former president said. “That’s what they said in the Soviet Union, right? We’re just going to do a little bit — no, we can’t do that, we can’t do that. That’s a horrible thing.
“Imagine the media uproar if Donald Trump decided to administer a ministry of truth? Well, I have a ministry of truth,” he said. “It’s called truth. It’s called Truth Social.”
On Sunday CNN host Dana Bash went after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about it.
It came during an interview on the CNN show “State of The Union” where she pressed him on the concerns.
“Let’s talk about what your department is calling, The Disinformation Governance Board that you unveiled this week. Republicans are calling it Orwellian and comparing it to the ministry of truth in the novel 1984. Can you clarify what exactly is this? What exactly will this disinformation governance board do? Will it monitor American citizens?” the host said.
“Dana, I’m very pleased to do so. It’s clear, I mean, those criticisms are precisely the opposite of what this small working group within the Department of Homeland Security will do. 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,” the secretary responded.
“So, what it does, it 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, protecting civil rights and civil liberties, the right of privacy. And the board, this working group, internal working group, will draw from best practices and communicate those best practices to the operators because the board does not have operational authority,” he said.
“Will American citizens be monitored?” the host said.
“No, no, the board does not have any operational capability. What it will do is gather together best practices in addressing the threat of disinformation from foreign state adversaries, from the cartels and disseminate those best practices to the operators that have been executing and addressing this threat for years,” the secretary said.
The host also confronted Mayorkas about Board leader Nina Jankowicz who has been shown to be partisan and he responded by insisting that she was “eminently qualified, a renowned expert in the field of disinformation.”
“And neutral?” the host said.
“Absolutely so,” he said.
“Would you be okay if Donald Trump were president, if he created this disinformation governance board? Or — if it is in place and he wins again in 2024 — that he’s in charge of such a thing?” the host said.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says Nina Jankowicz — the head of Biden’s Ministry of Truth — is “eminently qualified, a renowned expert” and “absolutely” neutral pic.twitter.com/DCoF18yJFE
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 1, 2022
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says Biden’s Ministry of Truth will be “safeguarding the right of free speech."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 1, 2022
“Do you think [Nina Jankowicz], the person you chose to head [the Ministry of Truth], expressed too much politics on their Twitter feed?”
DHS Secretary: Nah pic.twitter.com/AvdW0WKMN3
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 1, 2022
“I believe that this working group, that gathers together best practices, makes sure that our work is coordinated, consistent with those best practices, that we’re safeguarding the right of free speech, that we’re safeguarding civil liberties, I think, is an extraordinary important endeavor,” he said.
And on Wednesday he said that the board would not investigate free speech.
”That is the farthest thing from the truth,” he said when asked by Sen. John Kennedy.
“We protect the security of the homeland, and once again, allow me to articulate what I have said previously, which is that the working group does not have operational capability and authority,” he said. ‘It is to make sure that there are policies in place, standards in place, to protect the very rights about which you inquire.”
