Republicans Continue Ripping Homeland Security’s Disinformation Board

More than 170 Republican lawmakers warned Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday that the proposed Disinformation Governance Board risks sullying its agency’s non-partisan reputation.

Announced in April to counter false information directed at migrants, the Disinformation Governance Board drew quick backlash from Republicans—some citing constitutional concerns—that has only grown in recent weeks.

“DHS has developed a stalwart reputation as a defender of the homeland primarily because it has focused on these mission sets and has remained non-partisan in achieving them. Implementing something as vague as a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ will distract from these mission sets and potentially tarnish the non-partisan reputation the department has developed since its founding,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter addressed to Mayorkas.

The letter outlines two primary concerns Republican lawmakers have with the board. The first are “ethical concerns about an organization charged with securing the homeland engaging in anything that could have an impact on speech,” according to the letter. Secondly, the lawmakers suggested DHS is “overstepping its authority” in combatting misinformation, claiming those mission types are relegated to the intelligence community.

In the letter, the lawmakers posed several questions to Mayorkas, requesting answers within 30 days of its receipt.