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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged to fight back against the Biden administration’s recent move to establish a “Disinformation Governance Board” in order to fight internet “disinformation” leading up to the November midterms.
“Clearly, our entire principles that the country was founded on you cannot have a Ministry of Truth in this country,” the Florida Republican said during a press conference on Friday. “So let’s get real here, let’s make sure we’re doing things to benefit Floridians and Americans but we’re not going to let Biden get away with this one.”
FILE PHOTO: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the welcome segment of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 26, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo (Reuters)
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“We will be fighting back,” DeSantis added.
DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw told Fox News Digital that his office is “closely monitoring” the “unprecedented threat” from the board in order to assess how to “most effectively defend Floridians’ Constitutional rights.”
The pushback from DeSantis comes as Republicans across the country have slammed the Biden administration over the board that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified on Wednesday would “bring the resources” together to address the “threat” of online disinformation.
As President Biden’s tenure in the White House hits the 100-day milestone, media watchdogs and journalism professors alike have noticed that journalists are “overwhelmingly favorable, polite, and gentle” when covering the current administration. (Getty Images)
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“The same party that spent years promoting the Russia collusion hoax, suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story, & equated parents to terrorists believes it has credibility to control your speech,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted on Friday. “Biden must immediately abandon his plan to create an Orwellian Ministry of Truth.”
Many conservatives also criticized the timing of the creation of the board. The move was announced just days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter after publicly stating on multiple occasions he intends to implement an approach focused on freedom of speech.
“They didn’t need a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ until @elonmusk threatened their control over the narrative,” Republican Congressman Troy Nehls tweeted.
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Critics have also pointed toward highly politicized comments in support of Democrats that the executive director of the board, Nina Jankowicz, has made in the past, including comments dismissing the legitimacy of Hunter Biden’s laptop.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies during an April 2022 House hearing (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“It sounds like the objective of the board is to prevent disinformation and misinformation from traveling around the country in a range of communities,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in response to Republican criticism of the board on Thursday. “I’m not sure who opposes that effort.”
