- Nina Jankowicz was appointed to President Joe Biden’s now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board but resigned after a few weeks due to criticism from GOP legislators.
- Representative Jim Jordan has now subpoenaed her to appear before the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Federal Government in April.
- Conservatives called the board “un-American” and an abuse of power, while Jordan referred to it as “an anti-democratic and un-American attempt to establish a de facto Ministry of Truth within the federal government.”
- Jankowicz maintains that she took the position to serve her country and will not be cowed by conspiracy theories or intimidation.
Nina Jankowicz didn’t expect to be nationally criticized by Republicans when she accepted a position in public service.
Jankowicz, who served as chief of President Joe Biden‘s now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board, resigned from her position just weeks after her appointment in the spring of 2022. The board worked under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to combat misinformation threatening American security, but it quickly paused its pursuit and then formally dissolved months after it was formed after it received widespread criticism from GOP legislators who were concerned the board would censor free speech.
Jankowicz only worked in the position for a few weeks according to a report by Politico, but the effects of the job have lingered.
“I didn’t intend for my entire career to be lit on fire before my eyes by taking this job,” she said in the article.
Jankowicz allegedly was threatened, as was her newborn baby, after her stint at the helm of the DHS board. Many conservatives questioned Jankowicz’s plans, and now Representative Jim Jordan has subpoenaed her to appear before the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Federal Government in April.
Jankowicz, who maintains that she took the position to serve her country, announced she plans to comply with the subpoena in a tweet posted Monday.
“I will happily testify to the truth of the Board under oath: That it was a working group meant to address disinformation that endangered Americans’ safety, and that — because of the Republican Party’s irresponsible lies about it — our democracy is less secure,” Jankowicz tweeted.
I will happily testify to the truth of the Board under oath: That it was a working group meant to address disinformation that endangered Americans’ safety, and that — because of the Republican Party’s irresponsible lies about it — our democracy is less secure.
— Nina Jankowicz (@wiczipedia) March 7, 2023
“I am ready to continue to stand up for the truth, as I have done my entire career, and I will not be cowed by conspiracy theories or intimidation. I am extremely proud of my service to my nation,” she added.
I am ready to continue to stand up for the truth, as I have done my entire career, and I will not be cowed by conspiracy theories or intimidation. I am extremely proud of my service to my nation.https://t.co/SifbuKfV3g
— Nina Jankowicz (@wiczipedia) March 7, 2023
CNN reported that Jordan likely intends to question Jankowicz about the defunct board. Fox News reported that Jordan’s subcommittee is investigating the Disinformation Governance Board’s creation, as well as other matters related to the board.
Conservatives voiced outrage at the disinformation board’s creation, with several referring to the board as The Ministry of Truth, a reference taken from George Orwell’s 1984. Other critics called the board “un-American” and an abuse of power.
According to CNN, Jordan referred to the board as “an anti-democratic and un-American attempt to establish a de facto Ministry of Truth within the federal government.”
Jankowicz was subject to the attacks as well, and she has since lashed back, specifically against Fox News. Jankowicz announced a GoFundMe campaign earlier this month in which she aims to raise $100,000 to file a lawsuit against Fox News for the comments the network made about her to millions of viewers. As of press time, Jankowicz had raised $24,000 of her goal.
On her GoFundMe page, Jankowicz accused Fox News of spreading false coverage as soon as the day after she was hired.
“The network made over 500 scaremongering statements about my role, my views, and my personal life over the next nine months—an entirely disproportionate disinformation and smear campaign against a person who simply took a job to serve her country within her area of expertise,” Jankowicz said on the page.
Jankowicz also wrote about Jordan’s subpoena on the page, claiming that “Senior Republicans continue to lie about” her and her work.
Newsweek reached out to Jankowicz by email and Jordan by phone for comment.
The post Biden’s Ex-Disinformation Chief Says the Job Lit Her Whole Career ‘On Fire’ appeared first on Newsweek.
