The Center for Global Engagement, a multi-agency body within the U.S. State Department that has been credibly and repeatedly accused of working with domestic and international organizations to silence conservative voices, has officially disappeared.
Agency website now closed —
be considered Elon Musk calls the US government the worst offender of censorship and media manipulation after the Twitter files scandal Found Internal dysfunction identified in 2022 State Department Office of Inspector General report — state“The Global Engagement Center closed on December 23, 2024.”
The agency has been the focus of multiple congressional investigations and was a defendant in a pair of damning federal lawsuits in which conservative censorship was a common theme, but Washington is determined to keep the GEC alive until the end. There was a bipartisan effort. The annual budget is $61 million.
Democratic Sen. Christopher Murphy (Connecticut), defeated
pushed Amendment proposal co-host Republican Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) called for an extension of the GEC until 2034.
murphy
said The Washington Post reported earlier this month that “we are taking every step to ensure that GEC's authorization does not expire and that it can continue its important work.”
“One of the most egregious government operations in the nation's history to censor the American press.”
Sens. Jack Reed (DR.I.) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) are similarly enthusiastic about preserving the GEC.
Tweaks introduced Murphy's proposed amendment includes a requirement that the State Department cannot knowingly fund partisan political activities carried out domestically by the GEC. These obviously did not make the deal any better.
State Department
submitted December 9th Notice to Supervisory Court Daily Wire vs. U.S. Department of State — lawsuit bring In December 2023, The Daily Wire, Texas, The Federalist published this article in hopes of bringing the GEC to its knees and stopping “one of the most egregious government operations in the nation's history to censor the American press.” This indicates that the institution did not last long. This world.
As expected, there was no mention of reauthorizing the agency in the initial draft of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
The State Department told Blaze News at the time that it “looks forward to Congress extending this important mission through other means before its end date.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (Republican from Ohio)
asked House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in a June 3 letter calling for an end to funding for the GEC and other government agencies “engaging in the suppression of speech.” Ta. introduced On December 17, continuing spending measures were taken, including a one-year extension for government agencies.
“This CR is funding the censorship of conservative speech during the first year of the Trump administration. Unacceptable!”
tweeted Congressman Jim Banks (R-Indiana).
Matthew Peterson, editor-in-chief of Blaze News, one of the publications targeted by the GEC-backed censorship organization, said:
said“Oh, that's outrageous. That's unconscionable.”
Sean Davis, CEO of Federalist (the group that sued GEC for alleged censorship)
said“In that damn omnibus, Republicans plan to fund an illegal government censorship cartel that seeks to shut down and destroy conservative news outlets like @FDRLST and @realDailyWire. This is unforgivable insanity. What the hell is going on?”
The bloated 1,547-page funding bill, including Mr. Cole's bill, is gone, and so is any hope of the GEC's survival. A slimmer, GEC-free continuing resolution was ultimately passed on December 20th.
Among the many critics who celebrated GEC's closure this week was Missouri Sen. Eric Schmidt (R).
tweeted“Big win.”
GEC was originally the Strategic Counterterrorism Communications Center and was established by President Obama in 2011.
presidential order Its mission is to “utilize communications tools to reduce terrorist and extremist violence and terrorism radicalization that threaten U.S. interests and national security.”
The agency was renamed and assigned additional purposes under President Obama in 2016.
presidential order.
The agency works with domestic and international organizations to counter potentially radicalizing content, promote favorable “alternative narratives,” and protect against such international terrorist organizations and other violent extremists abroad. It will also work to reduce its influence.
“GEC, which almost got a lifeline under the first CR version, is already distributing its workforce to other institutions.”
after that
Codification into law Under the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, the GEC is required to address narrative curation and suppression to address content generated by state actors such as China and Russia, in addition to the usual extremist propaganda deployed by jihadists and others. Expanded range. In addition to giving government agencies grant-making authority, the NDAA also “creates a decentralized network of private sector actors, allowing them to integrate capabilities and expertise available outside the U.S. government into the strategy-making process.” ”Also gave the ability.
According to the House Small Business Committee
reportthe GEC has abandoned a “whole-of-government” approach and embraced “whole-of-society” support, stating that “its methodology seeks to capture social media from using social media platforms to create and disseminate counter-propaganda material.” A platform that suppresses content that has changed to induce public opinion by doing so. ”
In the years that followed, this institution became stronger and bolder, and increasingly developed connections with various censorship activities.
GEC helps government and non-governmental groups suppress the legitimate speech of the American public, including online discussion of the COVID-19 lab leak theory, or is harmful to those in power, such as Blaze. He is accused of supporting efforts to neutralize sources of information. News, The Federalist, Daily Wire, New York Post, and other conservative publications.
The agency is now defunct, but its work and hundreds of employees may end up at other federal agencies.
State Department Spokesperson
said Politico reported in October that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is committed to “maintaining the GEC's vital operations.”
“No matter what, combating foreign intelligence operations overseas will continue to be an important part of the department's mission,” the spokesperson said.
Gabe Kaminsky of the Washington Examiner, a publication that is also blacklisted by the Global Disinformation Index, a GEC-funded organization, writes: noticed“The GEC, which nearly got a lifeline under the first version of the CR, has denied funding to groups aimed at combating alleged disinformation in the United States, despite the GEC’s mandate to act internationally. “We have already dispersed employees to other agencies in response to targeted Congressional subpoenas and lawsuits.” ”
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