The Biden administration’s “ministry of truth” is being dropped less than a month after its creation was announced, thanks to a torrent of mockery and opposition. The Department of Homeland Security has abandoned the disinformation board and “disinformation expert” Nina Jankowicz has resigned from her post as its leader, while the White House has tried to distance itself from the defeat and Congressional Republicans continue to gloat.
Ministry of truth gone for now
Technically the board is only suspended, but with Jankowicz gone and the White House effectively conceding defeat, it is very unlikely that the board will ever be revived in its current form.
Republicans in Congress, who had been planning to block the board, have celebrated its swift demise and called for it to be permanently disbanded.
Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, a frequent critic of Biden and her party’s leadership, called for continued vigilance to ensure that the “Ministry of Truth” is not quietly recreated under a new name and leadership.
A few leftists have mourned the death of the board, but enthusiasm for the idea never really matched the loathing it inspired from the right.
The Washington Post’s notorious Taylor Lorenz claimed that the board was shut down after Jankowicz was subjected to right-wing attacks and bullying online.
Lorenz, who knows a thing or two about harassing people online, was one of the few prominent voices lamenting the decline of the disinformation board after the Department of Homeland Security announced the “pause.”
Republicans celebrate a victory
The Washington Post is correct in arguing that online criticism from the right played a major role in ending the board, but most Republicans would prefer to regard that as a positive outcome.
In the grand scheme of things, most of the right will be of the opinion that hurting the feelings of Jankowicz and her colleagues was a small price to pay for putting a stop to the Biden administration’s latest assault on free speech.
Perhaps the most damaging part of the right’s response to the board was the mockery Jankowicz and the White House received, which showed that conservatives had no intention of taking the board seriously.
As it was meant to force conservatives to think twice before speaking lest they be identified as purveyors of Russian disinformation by Homeland Security, laughing at the board effectively defeated its purpose.
Jankowicz herself has a history of labeling stories that reflect poorly on Democrats as “disinformation” so her anticipated role in the Biden administration was quite clear from the moment it was announced.
House Republicans celebrated the victory by pointing out that even CNN+ outlived Biden’s attempt to create a ministry of truth. Unlike CNN+, however, someone still has a use for the disinformation board and Democrats may still try to resurrect it if Republicans aren’t vigilant.
