The Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security launched and then abruptly terminated under heavy criticism last year its so-called “Disinformation Governance Board” which was to be led by a highly partisan individual named Nina Jankowicz.
Jankowicz, who has her own history of spreading “disinformation” online, has now been served with a congressional subpoena to appear before a Republican-led House Judiciary subcommittee for a transcribed deposition, the Daily Caller reported.
The subpoena comes following several prior failed attempts to get the former official to agree to voluntarily comply with a request for an interview.
Subpoena issued
Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter on Monday to Jankowicz to inform her that she had been formally subpoenaed to appear for a transcribed deposition at an as-yet unspecified time as part of its investigation into the so-called “Disinformation Governance Board” and the “weaponization” of federal agencies for partisan purposes more broadly.
“We have repeatedly sought information from you concerning your official actions and duties as a DHS employee and former Executive Director of the Board, including how the Board intended to define disinformation, how it planned to collect information and from what sources, how it anticipated countering disinformation, and how it proposed to protect First Amendment rights,” Jordan wrote.
The Ohio congressman noted that initial requests for Jankowicz’s voluntary cooperation had been sent in May and December of 2022, with no response, and were then reiterated three more times since the new Congress began in January, February, and March — each of which were again ignored.
“Our oversight of the so-called ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ and its effect on Americans’ civil liberties fall squarely within the Committee’s jurisdiction and are ‘subject[s] on which legislation could be had,'” Jordan continued. “These potential legislative reforms include the prohibition of such a federal “disinformation” entity, restrictions on the executive branch’s authority to collect speech-related information about American citizens, or enhanced protections surrounding civil liberties.”
“As the former Executive Director of the Board, you are uniquely situated to provide information that is relevant and necessary to inform the Committee’s oversight and potential legislative reforms,” the chairman concluded. “Accordingly, and in light of your disregard of our earlier voluntary requests, please find attached a subpoena compelling you to appear for a deposition.”
#NEW: @Jim_Jordan subpoenas Nina Jankowicz.
Compels her to appear for a deposition relating to Joe Biden’s failed “Disinformation Governance Board.” pic.twitter.com/MzClswwHhV
— Weaponization Committee (@Weaponization) March 6, 2023
Board nixed after one month under heavy criticism
The Daily Caller reported that the “short-lived” Disinformation Board under DHS had been dissolved just about a month after it was first launched due to sharp criticism about the overt partisanship of Jankowicz that would almost certainly be reflected in the board that she would direct.
Jankowicz had quite a history of leveling accusations against Republican officials of spreading “disinformation” on a variety of topics, including election integrity, immigration policies, and various issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines. Yet she herself also routinely peddled “disinformation” favored by the left about the GOP and former President Donald Trump and the Biden family, among other things.
And, even as DHS initially attempted to defend the new board with claims that it would be nonpartisan and focused solely on foreign disinformation, it was nonetheless shut down around the time that internal documents were leaked to Congress that told a vastly different story about the board’s true intentions.
Former National School Board Association officials also subpoenaed
Meanwhile, in announcing the subpoena for Jankowicz, a press release from the House Judiciary Committee revealed that Chairman Jordan had also issued subpoenas for depositions from two former top officials with the National School Boards Association who had also ignored repeated previous requests for a voluntary interview.
The two subpoenaed officials are Chip Slaven, former interim executive director and CEO of the NSBA, and Viola Garcia, former president of the NSBA, who had co-signed the Sept. 2021 letter to the Biden administration that sought and possibly even received federal law enforcement assistance in dealing with the “domestic terrorism threat” of angry parents speaking out at public school board meetings about their concerns with regard to curriculum, indoctrination, and seemingly never-ending pandemic mitigation policies.
