{"id":2342287,"date":"2024-09-17T12:57:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T16:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jim-banks-probes-state-department-for-linking-him-to-russia\/"},"modified":"2024-09-17T12:59:05","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T16:59:05","slug":"jim-banks-probes-state-department-for-linking-him-to-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jim-banks-probes-state-department-for-linking-him-to-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Banks probes State Department for linking him to Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fjim-banks-probes-state-department-for-linking-him-to-russia%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=2342287&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>Representative\u200b Jim Banks (R-IN) is questioning\u2062 the State Department over an internal memo that seems to attempt \u2063linking him to\u200c a Russian \u200bstate-controlled media outlet. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, he criticized the memo as a \u2062\u201csloppy and hypocritical lie,\u201d \u200creferring to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-finally-discovers-china-uses-u-s-media-to-attack-the-united-states\/\" title=\"CNN Finally Discovers China Uses U.S. Media To Attack The United States\">leaked documents<\/a> that indicated the State Department was responding to reporting on its funding of organizations that allegedly \u200bcensor conservative media. The memo incorrectly quoted Banks\u2019 remarks, suggesting that his defense of the First Amendment was connected\u2062 to Russian influence, thereby downplaying crucial aspects of previous reports. Banks emphasized \u200dthat the memo misrepresented \u2064his\u2062 critical quotes regarding the Global Engagement Center&#8217;s funding of the Global\u200d Disinformation Index, which targets conservative news outlets.  <\/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<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Jim Banks investigates State Department for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-senate-republicans-pile-on-pressure-to-approve-2k-stimulus-payments\/\" title=\"President Trump, Senate Republicans pile on pressure to approve K stimulus payments\">apparent effort<\/a> to link him to Russia<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1735563\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) is demanding answers from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/state-department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>State Department<\/a> over its crafting of an internal memo that appeared to try to link the congressman to a Russian state-controlled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>media<\/a> outlet.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/9.16.24-GDI-letter_AML-edits-002jh.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>letter<\/a> on Monday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the House Republican asked for an explanation for the &ldquo;sloppy and hypocritical lie&rdquo; that the State Department included in leaked internal documents <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/09\/13\/us-news\/state-department-tried-to-discredit-reporters-republican-pol-over-conservative-blacklist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> on by the <em>New York Post<\/em>. The documents were 2023 press guidance that the State Department circulated on how to respond to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance\/2773271\/disinformation-inc-state-department-bankrolls-group-secretly-blacklisting-conservative-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reporting<\/a> by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mtaibbi\/status\/1610394197730725889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>and<\/a> &ldquo;Twitter Files&rdquo; journalist Matt Taibbi on the Biden administration&rsquo;s Global Engagement Center funding apparent &ldquo;censorship&rdquo; groups and efforts.<\/p>\n<p>The State Department, in the 2023 memo, cited a variation of a quote from Banks on apparent state-funded censorship that was first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance\/2773271\/disinformation-inc-state-department-bankrolls-group-secretly-blacklisting-conservative-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>provided<\/a> to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in February 2023. That story focused on the Global Engagement Center funding the Global Disinformation Index, a British group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2749593\/disinformation-inc-meet-the-groups-hauling-in-cash-to-secretly-blacklist-conservative-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>that works to defund right<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-wildly-distorts-state-bills-banning-critical-race-theory-claims-republicans-want-to-stop-teaching-slavery-and-racism\/\" title=\"New York Times Wildly Distorts State Bills Banning Critical Race Theory, Claims Republicans Want To Stop Teaching Slavery And Racism\">-leaning media outlets<\/a><\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>But the State Department had cited what appeared to be a Russian-translated version of the Banks quote in a Russian news outlet, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/09\/13\/us-news\/state-department-tried-to-discredit-reporters-republican-pol-over-conservative-blacklist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>which<\/a> the <em>New York Post<\/em> said suggests &ldquo;Banks&rsquo; defense of the First Amendment was being linked to Russian influence operations &mdash; and to downplay the thrust of the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reports.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In February 2023, Gabe Kaminsky at the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> published a series of articles outlining the State Department&rsquo;s funding of a &lsquo;disinformation&rsquo;-related non-governmental organization called the Global Disinformation Index,&rdquo; Banks told Blinken, noting that &ldquo;GDI intended to convince advertisers to blacklist the news organizations it had deemed guilty of spreading disinformation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In response to Mr. Kaminsky&rsquo;s reporting, the State Department sent out press guidance defending its attempted suppression of U.S. news organizations,&rdquo; Banks continued in the letter. &ldquo;That guidance misleadingly changes a quote that I sent to Gabe Kaminsky and the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> criticizing the GEC. The intentional misquotation gives the impression that I had been speaking with a Russian propaganda outlet.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/9.16.24-GDI-letter_AML-edits-002jh.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>READ THE FULL LETTER HERE<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>Banks is asking Blinken for responses to several questions by Oct. 1, expressing concern about the State Department aiming to &ldquo;purposefully spread disinformation about a U.S. lawmaker.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is a sloppy and hypocritical lie and it is typical of the Biden-Harris State Department&rsquo;s repeated attacks on the First Amendment and Americans&rsquo; free speech rights,&rdquo; Banks continued. <\/p>\n<p>His letter asked why the State Department&rsquo;s press bureau used &ldquo;a secondhand and incorrect quotation from a foreign propaganda outlet instead of the accurate quotation from the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It also asked whether the State Department believes the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, the <em>New York Post<\/em>, and other outlets on GDI&rsquo;s blacklist are guilty of spreading &ldquo;disinformation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;How often does the State Department attack elected members of Congress in its press guidance?&rdquo; Banks asked. &ldquo;Does the State Department review its own press guidance for misinformation or disinformation?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The State Department declined to comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1735563\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1735563\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jim Banks, a Republican representative from Indiana, is seeking clarification from the State Department regarding an internal memo that seemingly attempted to associate him with a Russian state-run media organization. In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, Banks criticized the memo as a &#8220;sloppy and hypocritical lie,&#8221; referencing leaked documents reported by the New York Post. These documents included 2023 press guidance detailing how to respond to coverage by the Washington Examiner and journalist Matt Taibbi about funding for groups allegedly involved in censorship by the Biden administration&#8217;s Global Engagement Center.<\/p>\n<p>The memo cited a modified version of Banks&#8217; comments on state-funded censorship that he had originally shared with the Washington Examiner in February 2023. This report highlighted how the Global Engagement Center was financing the Global Disinformation Index, a British organization aimed at defunding right-leaning media outlets. However, it appears that the State Department used what seemed to be a Russian-translated version of Banks&#8217; quote from a Russian news source, which raised concerns that his defense of First Amendment rights was being linked to Russian influence efforts while downplaying key aspects of reports from the Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n<p>In his letter, Banks pointed out that Gabe Kaminsky&#8217;s articles in February 2023 detailed how U.S. taxpayer money was being allocated to organizations like GDI that sought to blacklist news outlets they accused of spreading disinformation. He argued that in response to this reporting, the State Department issued misleading press guidance defending its actions against U.S. news organizations and misquoted him in such a way as to imply he had engaged with Russian propaganda.<\/p>\n<p>Banks has requested answers from Blinken by October 1st regarding several issues including why inaccurate quotes were used instead of accurate ones and whether certain media outlets are considered guilty of spreading disinformation according to State Department standards. He also questioned how frequently Congress members are targeted in press guidance and if there is any review process for misinformation within their communications. The State Department has not provided any comments on this matter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2342288,"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\/09\/Jim-Banks-disinformation-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[41053,32646,5894,4280,32895],"class_list":["post-2342287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-congressional-inquiry","tag-jim-banks","tag-politics","tag-russia","tag-state-department"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Jim-Banks-disinformation-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342287","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=2342287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2342288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}