TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to terminate the creation of the Disinformation Governance Board which aims to prevent disinformation and misinformation from circulating around the country.
In a news release, Moody said the board “attacks Americans’ First Amendment rights,” and will “hurt the constitutional freedom to speak freely, debate and disagree with the government.”
According to the Associated Press, the new board will monitor and prepare for Russian disinformation threats during this year’s midterm elections and focus on an aggressive disinformation campaign around the war in Ukraine.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki even expressed her support for the board’s creation pointing to “a range of [disinformation] out there about a range of topics” like COVID, elections, and eligibility.
The board will be led by disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz, who has researched Russian misinformation tactics and online harassment, the AP reported.
But Moody says the “authoritarian maneuver” is President Biden’s “attempting to confuse and distort legitimate criticism.” In a letter signed by 18 other attorneys general, Moody called the move “unconstitutional, illegal and un-American.”
During his 2020 presidential campaign, President Biden repeatedly stated he would push tech companies to crack down on misinformation and conspiracy theories that overwhelm social media users.
Governor Ron DeSantis pushed back against the board calling it a “Bureau of Disinformation” and a “Ministry of Truth.”
“We reject this bureau in the state of Florida,” WFLA previously quoted DeSantis saying. “This is not acceptable, and in Florida, we’re not going to have it.”
Mayorkas insisted the new board is meant to combat dangerous and misleading information. In a statement, DHS said the board will “protect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties” as part of its duties.