Secretary of State says, “Individuals in America have been slandered, fired, charged, and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions.”
The State Department announced the closure of the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) this week, formerly known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC). The office began as the Center for Strategic Counter Terrorism Communications (CSCC), which was intended to monitor terrorist organization narratives and provide input on counter terrorist responses.
The office became the Global Engagement Center (GEC) under President Obama and shifted from “the explicit focus on international terrorism“ to “foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts.“ While Congress defunded the GEC last year, President Biden’s administration repurposed the office into its current form.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that while “freedom of speech and expression have been a cornerstone of what it means to be an American citizen,“ in the past decade “individuals in America have been slandered, fired, charged, and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions.“
Secretary Rubio reported that the GEC participated in the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) which monitored “disinformation” surrounding the 2020 presidential election. He continued, “GEC funneled grants to organizations around the world dedicated to pushing speech restrictions under the guise of fighting ‘disinformation.‘”
The secretary reported that the office had cost taxpayers $50 million per year “to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving.“ He stated, “It is the responsibility of every government official to continuously work to preserve and protect the freedom for Americans to exercise their free speech.“
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Rubio as he advocates for the protection of the American right to free speech.
- For State Department officials to be discerning as they evaluate the budgets and mission of their offices and programs.
Sources: State Department, PJ Media, The Federalist
