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The Department of Homeland Security has officially terminated plans for the "disinformation board" proposed earlier this year in April.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the final decision to discontinue the project Wednesday.
"In accordance with the HSAC’s prior recommendation, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has terminated the Disinformation Governance Board and rescinded its charter effective today, August 24, 2022," the department announced.
The announcement concludes a long and ill-fated struggle to get the board off the ground before the 2022 election season despite public backlash.
MAYORKAS TESTIFIES DHS IS CREATING 'DISINFORMATION GOVERNANCE BOARD'
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
Mayorkas announced in April during testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security that the DHS had created a "Disinformation Governance Board" to combat online disinformation.
"The goal is to bring the resources of (DHS) together to address this threat," Mayorkas said during the hearing, adding that the department was intended to focus on the spread of disinformation in minority communities ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS DHS 'DISINFORMATION' BOARD: 'NOT SURE WHO OPPOSES THAT EFFORT'
Hours later, Politico reported that Nina Jankowicz, who previously served as a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, would head the board as executive director.
The announcement was met with widespread skepticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
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The White House defended the DHS board after critics voiced free speech concerns, saying its objective was to prevent disinformation in a "range" of communities.
"It sounds like the objective of the board is to prevent disinformation and misinformation from traveling around the country in a range of communities," then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in response to Republican criticism of the board during a daily press briefing. "I'm not sure who opposes that effort."
Fox News' Kelly Laco and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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