Mayorkas testifies DHS is creating 'Disinformation Governance Board'

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security is creating a "Disinformation Governance Board" to combat misinformation ahead of the 2022 midterms. 

Mayorkas appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee to discuss the fiscal 2023 budget for the Department of Homeland Security. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations I Subcommittee Homeland Security Committee during a hearing on Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., cited reports on how minority communities are being targeted in misinformation campaigns and asked Mayorkas what DHS will do to address it.  

Mayorkas said a "Disinformation Governance Board" had recently been created and will be led by Undersecretary for Policy Rob Silvers co-chair with principal deputy general counsel Jennifer Gaskill.

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"The goal is to bring the resources of (DHS) together to address this threat," Mayorkas said, adding that the department is focused on the spread of disinformation in minority communities 

Fox News has reached out to DHS seeking more information on the "Disinformation Governance Board." 

Hours later, Politico reported that Nina Jankowicz, who previously served as a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, will head the board as executive director. 

"Cat’s out of the bag: here’s what I’ve been up to the past two months, and why I’ve been quiet on here," Jankowicz tweeted. "Honored to be serving in the Biden Administration @DHSgov and helping shape our counter-disinformation efforts." Mayorkas also named Rob Silvers and Jennifer Gaskell as leaders of the new board.

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The news of the "Disinformation Governance Board" comes two days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk secured a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, stoking panic among the left that the platform would become a free-speech free-for-all.