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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ newly conceived Disinformation Governance Board, chaired by a ‘disinformation expert’ from the Woodrow Wilson Center, is something normally seen in dictatorships, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard told Fox News.
On Thursday, Gabbard, D-Hawaii, said the board amounts to a “department of propaganda” from a government that appears fearful of its own citizens’ free thoughts.
“This is the kind of thing that you see in dictatorships, this ‘Ministry of Truth’,” she said. “[T]he reason why you see this in dictatorships is because they’re afraid of us. They’re afraid of the people. They’re afraid that we might actually think for ourselves.”
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The current U.S. Army reservist further predicted the board will use taxpayer funds to push out its messaging and “propaganda narratives” through the media and advertisements – while also silence dissent of the approved talking points by intimidating those who disagree.
The main positive development out of this news, Gabbard said, is that the administration is finally “formalizing” behavior they’ve already been supportive of and that other forces have been doing to quash dissent.
Mayorkas (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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“[T]hey’re revealing exactly who they are and why they’re doing it, what they’re trying to accomplish,” she said. “And it allows us, the American people, to stand up and say, ‘Hey, you know what? We’re not going to let you get away with this crap’.”
“We will take a stand. We will reject it. And we will throw out of office those who are continuing to push and propagate this undemocratic, anti-free speech mission.”
Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat from 2013 to 2021, was later asked if she would ever consider changing parties, given her dissent at times from current Democratic orthodoxy – as well as whether another presidential campaign is in the offing.
“Neither of those things are things that I’m giving any thought to,” she replied. “I am very focused on doing all that I can, as many Americans are across the country, in recognizing the crisis of this moment, the challenges that we face… and how critical it is that whether we’re a Democrat and independent or a Republican, we stand together and fight for our freedom to support and uphold and defend our Constitution and Bill of Rights.”