{"id":2269282,"date":"2024-06-17T06:36:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T10:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-hit-with-subpoena-over-censorship-by-proxy\/"},"modified":"2024-06-17T06:43:42","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T10:43:42","slug":"state-department-hit-with-subpoena-over-censorship-by-proxy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-hit-with-subpoena-over-censorship-by-proxy\/","title":{"rendered":"Subpoena issued to State Department over alleged &#8216;proxy censorship"},"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\">18<\/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%2Fstate-department-hit-with-subpoena-over-censorship-by-proxy%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=2269282&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--><p>The article reports on the escalating scrutiny and \u2063actions taken by \u200cthe U.S.\u2063 House\u2063 Small Business Committee, led by Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), against the\u2062 State Department&#8217;s Global Engagement Center (GEC). The\u200b committee has\u200b issued a subpoena to the GEC demanding it release records relating to\u200d its funding activities, including those connected to the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) and other entities allegedly\u200c involved in censorship practices targeting conservative media. The controversy centers around accusations that\u2062 GEC-funded entities are using their\u200c resources to\u200d indirectly influence and censor \u2062American media outlets, prompting legal and legislative backlashes, including a lawsuit\u200c from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-comms-team-gets-a-pass-where-trump-administration-would-have-had-a-scandal\/\" title=\"Biden Comms Team Gets A Pass Where Trump Administration Would Have Had A Scandal\">conservative outlets<\/a> like The Federalist and the Daily Wire. \u2064The situation has led to significant political and \u2064media backlash, \u200cincluding the severance of ties by companies like Microsoft and Oracle with GDI. The \u200carticle highlights the ongoing tensions between governmental\u2064 transparency, media\u200c freedoms, and the complex \u2064dynamics of modern disinformation campaigns.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/state-department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>State Department<\/a> is facing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>congressional<\/a> subpoena for failing to turn over records on programs Republicans say cultivated \u201ccensorship-by-proxy and revenue interference of American small businesses,\u201d the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> has learned.<\/p>\n<p>The subpoena, which was served late Thursday by the House Small Business Committee, is the latest development in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1398249\/biden-state-department-slammed-for-blowing-disinformation-documents-deadline-no-excuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>one-year<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2789357\/biden-administration-gop-incomplete-records-censorship-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>investigation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2860918\/state-department-obstruct-censorship-investigation-house-gop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>into<\/a> an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2405926\/house-gop-expands-biden-censorship-investigation-over-washington-examiner-disinformation-series\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>embattled<\/a> State Department-housed office called the Global Engagement Center, which the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/2801668\/disinformation-inc-meet-the-groups-hauling-in-cash-to-secretly-blacklist-conservative-news-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance\/2773271\/disinformation-inc-state-department-bankrolls-group-secretly-blacklisting-conservative-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>granted $100,000 to<\/a> the Global Disinformation Index. The latter group, which is based in London and has an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/2820047\/state-department-disinformation-tracker-gdi-redacts-tax-forms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>affiliated<\/a> nonprofit organization registered in the United States, works to pressure advertisers to boycott conservative media outlets.<\/p>\n<p>That the U.S. government funded the Global Disinformation Index, or GDI, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2439614\/inside-the-gops-tense-negotiations-with-democrats-to-ban-pentagon-funded-censorship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>inspired a new law<\/a> last year banning some Pentagon money from being allowed to go to the London-based organization, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2773429\/disinformation-inc-microsoft-removes-conservative-sites-from-blacklist-defunding-outlets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>which<\/a> lost a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/485948\/disinformation-inc-microsoft-suspends-relationship-with-group-blacklisting-conservative-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>key<\/a> partner in Microsoft amid scrutiny. The funding also prompted an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2640919\/state-department-faces-lawsuit-from-conservative-media-over-funding-censorship-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ongoing lawsuit<\/a> brought by the <em>Federalist<\/em> and the <em>Daily Wire<\/em>, two right-leaning websites, against the Biden administration for propping up \u201cone of the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-faces-lawsuit-from-conservative-media-over-funding-censorship-scheme\/\" title=\"Conservative media sues State Department over alleged 'censorship scheme' funding\">egregious government operations<\/a> to censor the American press in the history of the nation,\u201d according to a complaint. Oracle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1411473\/disinformation-inc-massive-corporation-oracle-severs-ties-with-conservative-blacklist-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>announced<\/a> it was cutting ties with GDI in 2023, though a <a href=\"https:\/\/unherd.com\/2024\/04\/inside-the-disinformation-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>report<\/a> from April of this year indicates the corporation still has a relationship with the British group.<\/p>\n<p>The House Small Business Committee, which is chaired by Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/roger-williams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Roger Williams<\/a> (R-TX), has hit constant roadblocks while seeking to extract sprawling financial records from the Global Engagement Center, or GEC, related to alleged censorship. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2405926\/house-gop-expands-biden-censorship-investigation-over-washington-examiner-disinformation-series\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Last summer<\/a>, the committee asked the GEC for an unredacted list of the office\u2019s grant recipients since 2019, followed by requests for records on awards to purported disinformation tracking groups such as GDI, the New York-based company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2446507\/ex-state-department-censorship-tool-under-spotlight-in-new-conservative-media-lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>NewsGuard<\/a>, and other entities.<\/p>\n<p>But the investigation took a turn late last year upon the GEC sending Republicans grant records marked \u201csensitive but unclassified\u201d and \u201cnot for public release.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2789357\/biden-administration-gop-incomplete-records-censorship-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>They were heavily redacted<\/a> and just five pages \u2014 hardly encompassing what lawmakers had requested. Then, in February, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2860918\/state-department-obstruct-censorship-investigation-house-gop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republicans accused the State Department<\/a> of threatening to obstruct their investigation. That contention was in response to a top GEC official sending a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/706228500\/2024-02-14-Letter-to-Chairman-Williams-State-Dept-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>letter<\/a> to the committee asserting the GEC may only allow it to review records in private, and not obtain separate copies, due to Republicans allegedly releasing grant records to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>However, the outlet\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2789357\/biden-administration-gop-incomplete-records-censorship-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>story<\/a> in January did not say who the source was that provided records on condition of anonymity. The GEC\u2019s threatening letter was \u201cbeltway-ese for \u2018We wouldn\u2019t mind knowing the <em>Examiner\u2019s <\/em>sources,&#8217;\u201d in the telling of \u201cTwitter Files\u201d journalist Matt Taibbi, who wrote a February <a href=\"https:\/\/www.racket.news\/p\/state-department-threatens-congress?r=5mz1&#038;utm_campaign=post&#038;utm_medium=web\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>article<\/a> on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll Americans deserve a fair shot to compete in the marketplace, and the government should not be tipping the scales against any business for their legal speech on the internet,\u201d Williams told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThe refusal to comply with repeated document requests is unacceptable, especially when the livelihoods of many small businesses are on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Rep. Roger Williams, (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, speaks during a hearing on rising crime at Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Williams, in a letter Thursday to Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antony-blinken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Antony Blinken<\/a> and the GEC\u2019s James Rubin, slammed the State Department for its \u201crefusal to produce the requested information.\u201d The subpoena, which was reviewed by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, listed a June 27 deadline for the GEC to produce documents.<\/p>\n<p>One document Republicans requested is a GEC-housed file appearing to have originated on Feb. 14, 2023, called \u201cGEC-GDI-BLACKLIST.\u201d It corresponds to the name of a file mentioned, though not included, in internal GEC records obtained by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> through the Freedom of Information Act. <\/p>\n<p>Republicans asked for documents related to a defunct GEC platform called Disinfo Cloud,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2446507\/ex-state-department-censorship-tool-under-spotlight-in-new-conservative-media-lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> a key focus<\/a> of the <em>Federalist<\/em> and <em>Daily Wire\u2019s<\/em> lawsuit. Disinfo Cloud was managed by Park Advisors, an investment group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance\/2773271\/disinformation-inc-state-department-bankrolls-group-secretly-blacklisting-conservative-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>that steered<\/a> the GEC\u2019s $100,000 grant in 2021 to GDI, the British group. The <em>Federalist<\/em> and the <em>Daily Wire<\/em>, the two conservative media outlets suing the State Department, argued in their lawsuit that Disinfo Cloud operated as an \u201calter ego\u201d of the government to \u201cfund censorship technology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the House Small Business Committee subpoenaed the GEC for records on any of the office\u2019s funding awards since 2018 to other organizations. The subpoena also singled out almost two dozen groups that the committee specifically wants information about, including GDI, NewsGuard, and Park Advisors.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans asked for records on any GEC funding to the Atlantic Council and a lab at the think tank <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/gekaminsky\/status\/1623839487594835974\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>connected<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/press\/Censorship%20Motion%20for%20PI%20Filestamped.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>alleged<\/a> censorship of disfavored speech. The subpoena listed Albany Associates, a British group aiming to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disinformation-inc-biden-administration-misses-gop-deadline-for-censorship-records\/\" title=\"Disinformation Inc: Biden administration misses GOP deadline for 'censorship' records\">thwart alleged disinformation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2789357\/biden-administration-gop-incomplete-records-censorship-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>that has partnered<\/a> in recent years with the U.K. government. It also listed the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based think tank that, the <em>Daily Caller<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/02\/13\/state-department-think-tank-disinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a>, partnered with the State Department and private companies as it labeled right-of-center viewpoints as \u201cdisinformation\u201d or \u201cmisinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the committee does not take issuing a subpoena lightly, the GEC\u2019s repeated failure to comply with our requests has left us with no other option,\u201d Williams told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>The subpoena comes after Williams attached an <a href=\"https:\/\/amendments-rules.house.gov\/amendments\/WILLTX_062_xml240607115518651.pdf?_gl=1*p620eb*_ga*MzYyOTQwOTE1LjE3MTA1MzQyNjQ.*_ga_N4RTJ5D08B*MTcxODM5MjYyMC40My4xLjE3MTgzOTMwODEuMC4wLjA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>amendment<\/a> to the 2025 defense policy bill, which passed the House and will be negotiated in the Senate, that would prohibit the Pentagon from funding groups working to demonetize other groups in the U.S. over their lawful speech. The amendment also singled out GDI and NewsGuard \u2014 the latter of which House Oversight Committee Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>James Comer<\/a> (R-KY) launched an investigation <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Newsguard-Letter-061324.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>into<\/a> last week over alleged censorship operations. <\/p>\n<p>The GEC is up for reauthorization this year but could lose funding if the office fails to earn approval from Republicans, who are increasingly frustrated over the GEC\u2019s ties to left-leaning groups taking aim at right-leaning speech. Since forming in 2016, Republicans say, the GEC has gone out of its way to get involved in censorious activities that run contrary to its overseas-focused mission to thwart \u201cforeign state and non-state propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, a new provision through the annual State Department appropriations bill, which will soon be up for a House floor vote, also aims to ban future funding to the GEC, according to the bill <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.house.gov\/billsthisweek\/20240624\/FY25-SFOPS%20RulComPrt_xml.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>text<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>One senior Republican aide who pushed for the provision called it a \u201clandmark oversight move by Congress\u201d that would be \u201ca blow to the censorship regime the Democrats built, financed, and abused.\u201d Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), one of the main lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/407526\/disinformation-inc-darrell-issa-demands-state-department-investigate-conservative-blacklist-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>who<\/a> has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1018810\/biden-state-department-stands-by-disinformation-grant-to-conservative-blacklister\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>helped<\/a> lead the investigation into the GEC, said the office is anything but bipartisan. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat it descended this far \u2014 into a partisan political office housed in the State Department that targeted conservatives and sought to censor their free speech \u2014 is the core reason why this kind of decision by Congress is both warranted and overdue,\u201d Issa told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>The GEC did not respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State Department has been subpoenaed by the House Small Business Committee for not providing records on programs allegedly fostering proxy censorship and disrupting revenues of U.S. small businesses, sources told the Washington Examiner. This subpoena, issued late Thursday, marks a new phase in the ongoing year-long investigation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2269283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24142640221087-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2269282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24142640221087-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269282","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\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2269282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2269282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2269283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2269282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2269282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2269282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}