Politics

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Johnson Calls For Answers From DHS Over Biden’s ‘Disinformation’ Board, Slams Nina Jankowicz

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Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson sent a letter Wednesday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding a list of answers over the new “Disinformation Governance Board” and slamming the board’s leader, Nina Jankowicz.

The Daily Caller first obtained the letter to Mayorkas in which Johnson points out that Jankowicz attempted to discredit the Hunter Biden laptop story in the past and is now in charge of a disinformation board. Johnson says Jankowicz is a “beacon of misinformation online” and mentioned that she has published multiple tweets “furthering the false media narrative” about the Hunter Biden laptop.

Both The Washington Post and The New York Times noted the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop in March 2022, more than a year after the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) first verified it on October 29, 2020. The DCNF obtained a full copy of Hunter Biden’s alleged laptop from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2020 and had the emails forensically verified as real.

Just days before the DCNF verified the authenticity of the laptop, Jankowicz tweeted about the laptop, saying it “is a Russian influence op.”

During the second presidential debate, Jankowicz sent out a tweet which said that Biden cited “50 former natsec officials and 5 former CIA heads that believe the laptop is a Russian influence op.”

In a tweet from December 2017, Jankowicz also claimed the Steele dossier, which has been totally discredited, was funded by Republicans. Christopher Steele, the dossier’s author, was never funded by Republicans. The Washington Post reported in October 2017 that Marc E. Elias, a lawyer for the Clinton campaign and DNC, and his law firm, Perkins Coie, hired Fusion GPS last April to investigate Donald Trump — something Jankowicz failed to mention.

Jankowicz is currently a fellow at the Wilson Center. On her website, she calls herself an “internationally-recognized expert on disinformation and democratization.”

In the letter, Johnson asked a number of questions about the “Disinformation Governance Board”:

  • Provide the statute allowing DHS to create the Disinformation Board, appoint board members, and assign or hire staff.
  • How does DHS define “misinformation”?
  • What does DHS consider to be “irregular migration”?
  • What does DHS consider to be misinformation about irregular migration?
  • What DHS component or office is responsible for monitoring and collecting data on “misinformation”? How many staff are tasked with this assignment? What are their job descriptions and classifications?
  • What specific actions does DHS intend to take to “counter misinformation”?

“The fact that a federal department with approximately 240,000 employees would set up a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ to enforce the government’s judgement of what information is allowed in the public square should frighten anyone who values liberty and understands how crucial free speech is in maintaining that liberty,” Johnson told the Daily Caller.

READ THE LETTER HERE: 

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers

Recent reporting by the Daily Caller and other outlets has highlighted the Biden family’s extensive dealings with Chinese companies, including a presentation Hunter Biden gave promoting American shale and natural gas to Chinese businessmen. (RELATED: ‘Too Little, Too Late’ — Democratic Reps. Elissa Slotkin, Abigail Spanberger Express Concern With Biden Border Crisis)

Johnson called for responses to his questions by 5:00 p.m. on May 6.

The Daily Caller contacted the DHS about the letter and about Johnson’s questions to which they did not immediately respond.

Editor’s note: the piece has been updated to reflect that the dossier’s author was Christopher Steele.