Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., told Newsmax Wednesday the now "paused" Department of Homeland Security Disinformation Governance Board was created by the administration of President Joe Biden using George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984" and its "Ministry of Truth" as a "how-to manual."
"Who knew that George Orwell's '1984' would become a how-to manual for the Biden administration," Tiffany said on "American Agenda."
Tiffany was referring to Orwell's 1949 novel of an authoritarian state in which the "Ministry of Truth" operated as the propaganda arm of the government, providing the only "facts" citizens were to believe and rewriting history to fulfill the state's narrative, according to Study.com.
Since being announced earlier this month, critics of the DHS board pointed to this analogy, while Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tried to explain that the "internal working group" did not have any authority, or power, to take actions, or monitor citizens for disseminating what it considered "misinformation," according to a May 5 U.S. News and World Report article.
"It is just an episodic failure," Brian Murphy, a former director of DHS' intelligence arm, told the news outlet of the board's launch. "And it has set the true disinformation professionals, wherever they live, back."
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Biden administration had put the board "on pause" after just three weeks, and accepted the resignation of its head, Nina Jankowicz, who came under fire from critics herself for social media posts that relayed information later determined to be false, such as claiming the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation.
"Nina Jankowicz has been subjected to unjustified and vile personal attacks and physical threats," a DHS spokesperson told The Post in a statement Wednesday. "In congressional hearings and in media interviews, the Secretary has repeatedly defended her as eminently qualified and underscored the importance of the Department's disinformation work, and he will continue to do so."
Tiffany said the story "gained legs" because of things the administration has done recently to seemingly censor citizens that disagree with its policies.
"Here's why (the story) gained legs very quickly, and why this is falling apart quickly, is because (Republicans have) been telling the story about Attorney General (Merrick) Garland when he went after parents before in regard to school boards," Tiffany said. "Those type of examples are out there repeatedly by the Biden administration."
He said the more the American people see these kinds of statements and actions by the administration, the more they believe it is looking to censor the population.
"The 'great unifier' of Jan. 20, 2021, people are figuring out, is not so much for unity in America," he said.
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