{"id":2079436,"date":"2023-10-25T18:44:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T22:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-official-grilled-by-gop-over-conservative-disinformation-blacklist-group-funding\/"},"modified":"2023-10-25T18:46:17","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T22:46:17","slug":"biden-official-grilled-by-gop-over-conservative-disinformation-blacklist-group-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-official-grilled-by-gop-over-conservative-disinformation-blacklist-group-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP questions Biden official on funding for conservative &#8216;disinformation&#8217; blacklist group."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-official-grilled-by-gop-over-conservative-disinformation-blacklist-group-funding%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2079436&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Republicans Confront Biden \u2062Official Over Funding &#8220;Disinformation&#8221; Group<\/h2>\n<p>A top Biden administration official \u2064faced tough questioning from Republicans in a congressional hearing regarding the U.S. government&#8217;s funding of a &#8220;disinformation&#8221; group that is depriving conservative media of advertising dollars.<\/p>\n<p>The House Foreign Affairs Committee, led by the GOP, \u200dis considering not reauthorizing the Global Engagement Center (GEC), an interagency housed within\u2063 the State Department. An investigation by the Washington Examiner revealed that the GEC provided\u2062 $100,000 to the Global Disinformation \u2062Index (GDI), a British think tank that feeds blacklists of conservative websites to advertisers in order to silence disfavored speech.<\/p>\n<h3>Labeling Right-Leaning News Outlets<\/h3>\n<p>GDI has faced scrutiny from\u2063 members of Congress for labeling right<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/medias-coverage-of-crises-under-biden-would-look-a-lot-different-if-trump-were-in-office\/\" title=\"Media\u2019s Coverage of Crises Under Biden Would Look A Lot Different If Trump Were In Office\">-leaning news outlets<\/a>, including the New York Post, Washington Examiner, Daily Caller, and \u200bReason, as purveyors of\u2063 &#8220;disinformation.&#8221; \u200bDuring the \u2062hearing, Rep. Darrell Issa\u2062 (R-CA) questioned GEC Acting Coordinator\u200c Daniel Kimmage about\u2063 the \u2063New York Post being labeled as a source of disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Global Engagement \u2064Center does not do any work\u2062 domestically and we don&#8217;t \u200dhave any position on any U.S. media outlets at all,&#8221; Kimmage responded.<\/p>\n<p>Issa then asked about other blacklisted outlets, \u200csuch as RealClearPolitics and Daily Wire, \u200dto which Kimmage\u200d reiterated that the GEC does not work in the U.S. media environment.<\/p>\n<h3>Concerns \u200cOver Funding GDI<\/h3>\n<p>Issa further questioned Kimmage about\u2064 the GEC&#8217;s funding of GDI. The British group had\u200d received approximately $860,000 from the State Department-backed National Endowment for Democracy before the organization cut ties with\u200c GDI.<\/p>\n<p>Kimmage clarified that the GEC had an arrangement with GDI to\u200d conduct specific work in six languages other than English, focusing on Russian and Chinese narratives. He emphasized that \u2063this work was\u200b limited in duration\u200c and unrelated to U.S. media.<\/p>\n<p>Later in the hearing,\u200d Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) raised concerns about \u200cGDI&#8217;s labeling of \u2062news outlets as &#8220;risky&#8221; or &#8220;nonrisky.&#8221; He \u200bquestioned whether there was an institutional \u200bbias among third-party organizations hired to do this work.<\/p>\n<h3>Addressing Institutional Bias<\/h3>\n<p>Mast highlighted that some news outlets labeled as &#8220;nonrisky&#8221; by GDI were perpetuating false information, such as the recent claim that\u200d Israel bombed\u200d a hospital in Gaza. He questioned whether any of the\u200d GEC&#8217;s third-party partners\u200b were involved in spreading\u200b such falsehoods.<\/p>\n<p>Kimmage explained that the GEC \u2062has a process to select partners \u200cand that they do not \u2063engage in\u2063 domestic discussions or address U.S. policy. He emphasized that the GEC does not have control over the actions of its third-party partners.<\/p>\n<p>The GEC maintains that no taxpayer \u2063funds were used for GDI&#8217;s U.S. blacklisting activities, although Republicans argue that money is fungible. Mast\u200c pointed out the\u200d challenge of the GEC&#8217;s mission statement, which focuses on \u2064countering \u200bforeign propaganda and disinformation while not addressing \u2063Americans directly.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the\u2064 hearing shed light \u200don the controversy surrounding the GEC&#8217;s funding of GDI and raised concerns about potential bias in the selection of third-party partners.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Are \u200bthere concerns \u2064that the GEC&#8217;s funding of the Global Disinformation \u200bIndex (GDI) violates the Smith-Mundt Act and what impact does it have on freedom of\u200b speech?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ets, such as the Washington Examiner \u200band Daily\u2064 Caller. Kimmage maintained that the \u2063GEC does not blacklist media outlets\u200c and \u2064focuses on \u2064countering foreign disinformation and propaganda.<\/p>\n<h3>Government Funding \u200cof Disfavored Speech<\/h3>\n<p>The funding of the GDI by the U.S. government has raised concerns among Republicans who believe\u2063 that it is an infringement\u2064 on\u200d free speech rights. They argue that\u2064 the government should\u200b not be using taxpayer dollars\u2063 to fund a group that is actively\u200b working to silence conservative media outlets through the labeling of &#8220;disinformation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is deeply concerning that taxpayer funds are being\u200d used to support an organization that labels and suppresses certain media outlets simply because they hold different political views,&#8221; said Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO).<\/p>\n<p>Republicans on the committee questioned\u200d whether the GEC&#8217;s funding of the GDI violated the Smith-Mundt Act, which prohibits the\u2063 use of government funds to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">influence public opinion<\/a>\u200b within the \u2063United \u2062States. \u200cThey raised concerns about the potential impact on freedom of speech and the broader implications for media independence and \u200ctransparency.<\/p>\n<h3>Protecting Free Speech and Media Independence<\/h3>\n<p>The questioning of the Biden administration official reflects the ongoing concerns within the Republican party about \u200cperceived bias in the\u200b media and the suppression of conservative\u200b voices. Republicans argue \u2064that the funding of organizations like\u200c the GDI undermines the principles of\u2063 free speech and media \u2064independence that are essential to a functioning \u200cdemocracy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The role of government\u2063 should not be to determine what is disinformation or what is acceptable speech in the media,&#8221; stated Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT).<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are calling for a reevaluation\u2063 of the GEC&#8217;s funding \u200band its relationship with the GDI. They stress the need for transparency and accountability \u2063in how taxpayer funds are allocated and urge the Biden administration to prioritize\u2062 the protection of free speech rights for all Americans, regardless of \u200ctheir \u200dpolitical affiliation.<\/p>\n<h3>The Future of the Global Engagement Center<\/h3>\n<p>The outcome\u200d of the congressional hearing \u2064and the decision on whether to reauthorize the Global \u200bEngagement Center will have significant implications for the \u200cfight against foreign disinformation and propaganda. While Republicans are skeptical \u2063of the center&#8217;s current approach and the funding of the GDI, there is recognition of the importance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-official-grilled-by-gop-over-conservative-disinformation-blacklist-group-funding\/\" title=\"GOP questions Biden official on funding for conservative 'disinformation' blacklist group.\">countering foreign influence\u200b operations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need a solution that addresses foreign\u2063 disinformation without infringing on the\u2062 rights of American \u2063citizens and media outlets,&#8221;\u2062 emphasized Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n<p>As \u200bthe debate unfolds, it \u2063is clear that Republicans remain committed to upholding the principles of \u2063free speech, media \u200dindependence, and transparency in the face of perceived censorship and bias.\u200c The decision \u2064on the future of the Global Engagement Center will be a crucial test for the Biden\u2064 administration in\u2064 navigating these concerns\u2062 and finding a balance between countering disinformation and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/viral-meme-maker-who-joked-about-hillary-clinton-sentenced-to-7-months-in-prison-for-election-interference\/\" title=\"Meme-maker mocking Hillary Clinton gets 7-month prison term for 'election meddling'.\">safeguarding democratic values<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Republican-led congressional hearing confronted a senior Biden administration official over U.S. government funding of a &#8220;disinformation&#8221; group that deprives conservative media of advertising revenue. The House Foreign Affairs Committee, considering the reauthorization of the Global Engagement Center, was informed by a Washington Examiner investigation that revealed a $100,000 grant provided by the State Department-housed interagency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2079437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2079436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2079436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2079436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2079436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2079437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2079436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2079436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2079436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}