The White House on Monday said the newly created Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Disinformation Governance Board would be “non-partisan” despite the leader of the board’s history of partisan statements on social media.
“The mandate is not to adjudicate what is true or false online or otherwise, it will operate in a non-partisan and apolitical manner,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at the daily briefing.
The appointed executive director of the board, Nina Jankowicz, publicly stated her support for failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.
“Maybe Hillary Clinton’s most important point so far: A Donald Trump presidency would embolden ISIS,” she wrote on Twitter with the hashtag #ImWithHer.
Maybe @HillaryClinton's most important point so far: "A @realDonaldTrump presidency would embolden ISIS." #ImWithHer
— Nina Jankowicz 🇺🇺🇸 (@wiczipedia) June 2, 2016
During the 2016 election, Jankowicz spread discredited stories about then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s ties to Russia and the Kremlin.
Jankowicz talks a lot about "disinformation laundering." Well this is about the best example you could find.
She touted a statement from the Clinton campaign about a since-debunked news story about Carter Page that was planted by Clinton operatives Fusion GPS and Chris Steele pic.twitter.com/CxlLNCKQys
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) May 2, 2022
Jankowicz also repeatedly criticized former President Trump’s use of social media and scolded tech companies for failing to punish him for controversial posts on Twitter.
….planted and maintained. Gardens don’t just grow; they require upkeep. The same is true of a social network.
In this scenario, Trump is the weed tree that is lobbed off on the surface but has a network of roots underground that will keep him (and his rhetoric) coming back.
— Nina Jankowicz 🇺🇺🇸 (@wiczipedia) May 5, 2021
Facebook didn’t suspend Trump for false content- it was for incitement and danger to public safety.
— Nina Jankowicz 🇺🇺🇸 (@wiczipedia) January 8, 2021
She also repeatedly pointed to claims that the Hunter Biden laptop was part of a Russian disinformation operation to affect the 2020 presidential election.
Back on the "laptop from hell," apparently- Biden notes 50 former natsec officials and 5 former CIA heads that believe the laptop is a Russian influence op.
Trump says "Russia, Russia, Russia."
— Nina Jankowicz 🇺🇺🇸 (@wiczipedia) October 23, 2020
In 2020, Jankowicz even defended Christopher Steel’s thoughts on disinformation after his widely discredited Russian dossier was widely discredited as a major source for lies about President Trump during the campaign.
Jankowicz also defended Biden’s handling of Ukraine, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin invading the country during his presidency.
She argued that Trump would have been “much worse” than Biden.
To everyone in my TikTok comments who has been saying "this wouldn't be happening under Trump":
You're correct. It would be much worse.https://t.co/tD94kuxRvL
— Nina Jankowicz 🇺🇺🇸 (@wiczipedia) February 22, 2022
Psaki said the DHS Disinformation Board under Jankowicz would “coordinate ongoing work that is happening” online from the Department.
She also said the board will focus on “things that would incite violence extremism” as well as human trackers and transnational criminals, malign foreign influence, or information endangering people during emergencies.
“A lot of this work is really about work that people may not see every day that’s ongoing by the Department of Homeland Security,” she said.
When asked how DHS would identify “extremist” groups, Jen Psaki said she did not know told reporters to question the Department of Homeland Security.
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