Wednesday’s White House press briefing featured five questions on the so-called pause of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) dangerously Orwellian Disinformation Governance Board (DGB) and the resignation of its controversial head, Nina Jankowicz. In the midst of the questions from Wall Street Journal’s Tarini Parti and Fox’s Peter Doocy, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the pause, but let slip that the DGB’s “work” will “continue.”
Parti broke the ice, asking whether “the White House play[ed] a role at all in perhaps expressing frustration on how it was rolled out or...any — involvement in how it — whether or not it should be paused.”
She also wondered whether the administration had “a response to” what “some experts” who’ve argued the DGB “was sort of set up to fail[.]”
Jean-Pierre went right to her binder (which she’s relied on as more than a crutch in both her tenure and back to being Jen Psaki’s understudy), insisting “the board has never convened” but would be “pausing in the sense that it will not convene while former Secretary [Michael] Chertoff and former Deputy AG [Jamie] Gorelick” conduct “their assessment.”
She added that DHS has done “critical” “work across several administrations to address disinformation that threatens the security of our country...that will indeed continue.”
The former MSNBCer claimed that ordinary Americans had nothing to worry about to begin with because “neither Nina Jankowicz nor the board have anything to do with the censorship or with removing content from anywhere” but instead “ensure that national security officials are updated on how misinformation is affecting...the threat environment.”
Parti tried again with whether the White House had “a role at all in” its pause, but Jean-Pierre claimed it hadn’t.
A few minutes later, the clock struck Doocy Time and led off with the DGB and questioning “what changed” given the pause since Psaki had previously insisted the board was necessary to protect freedom of speech.
Jean-Pierre retreated to her binder, but added it “had been intentionally mischaracterized...about what it does and doesn’t...do.”
She argued: “[i]t was never about censorship, poli- — policing speech, or removing content from anywhere,” but keep DHS “aware of how bad actors — including human smugglers, transnational criminal organization, and foreign adversaries — could use disinformation to advance their goals.”
Retreating to her other talking points, Jean-Pierre emphasized DHS’s fight against disinformation “will continue,” thus clinching the reality that, despite having been caught, the Biden administration could soon try again.
Doocy offered one last missive on the DGB: “So if it’s pausing because you think the board was mischaracterized, then the disinformation board is being shut down because of disinformation? Is that what’s happening here?”
Jean-Pierre griped that while it “was put forth for a purpose” to fight disinformation, there had been “mischaracterations [sic] from outside — outside forces.”
Doocy turned to threats facing Supreme Court justices and whether the White House would admit which side they were emanating from (“pro-abortion activists or anti-abortion activists”), Jean-Pierre refused to answer and instead gave support to protesters outside the Supreme Court and going to the homes of pro-life justices so long as they don’t engage in physical violence.
Doocy wrapped with a series of questions about gas prices (click “expand”):
DOOCY: Americans are now spending $5,000 a year on gasoline. That’s almost double what they did a year ago. Where are people supposed to go to get all that extra cash?
JEAN-PIERRE: To get the extra cash to pay for gas?
DOOCY: Yeah.
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, I mean, one of the things that we’ve been very clear about is to do everything in our power to make sure that we lower costs. You know, it is important — we see it. The President understands what the American people is — are — is going through. And that’s why we’re doing everything that we can. We’ve made multiple announcements in the past several — several months of what we’re doing — whether it’s just the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, whether it’s the ethanol 15, to make sure that that — that the American people are not feeling Putin’s price hike. This is where this is coming from. Sixty to seventy percent of the current price hike that we have seen has come from Putin’s aggression against Ukraine.
DOOCY: So, the President announces on March 31st that he’s got all these steps to lower gas prices, and it’s still Putin’s fault, seven weeks later?
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, because — what I’m saying is, since the war — since Putin’s war — aggression against Ukraine started back in February — we did see a spike. But before then, it had — the price — the — the price per gallon had fallen down about 10 cents or more and then Putin started his aggression on Ukraine — his violent aggression on Ukraine — against their democracy, against their — against their sovereignty and we saw about — I mean, the facts show it went up about 60 to 70 percent, so it is Putin’s tax hike. This is what we’re talking about.
To see the relevant transcript from April 18's briefing, click “expand.”
White House press briefing [via CBSN]
May 18, 2022
2:48 p.m. EasternTARINI PARTI: DHS said today that they’ll be pausing the Disinformation Governance Board. Did the White House play a role at all in perhaps expressing frustration on how it was rolled out or expressed any — involvement in how it — whether or not it should be paused? And then also, some experts have said that it was sort of set up to fail the way it was rolled out. Do you have a response to that?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: So, the board has never convened. It — so that’s — it never convened, and the board is — yes, the board is pausing in the sense that it will not convene while former Secretary Chertoff and former Deputy AG Gorelick do their assessment. But the Department’s work across several administrations to address disinformation that threatens the security of our country is critical, and that will indeed continue. And again, neither Nina Jankowicz nor the board have anything to do with the censorship or with removing content from anywhere. Their role is to ensure that national security officials are updated on how misinformation is affecting the trea- — the threat — the threat environment. She has strong credentials and a history of calling out misinformation from both the left and the right And that’s — and that’s our focus.
PARTI: So did the White House — did the White House play a role at all in whether it should be paused or what should happen with — with the board?
JEAN-PIERRE: No. First of all, like I said, this — this is what’s happening: There is a pause. We did not have an involvement in this at all.
(....)
2:54 p.m. Eastern
PETER DOOCY: A follow-up to the disinformation board. Last week, you guys said that you needed this Disinformation Governance Board at DHS to make sure that freedom of speech is protected across the country and that these platforms are not used for forms of disinformation, so what changed?
JEAN-PIERRE: Look, the Department of — of Homeland Security, they began their statement report- — repeating that the board had been intentionally mischaracterized, which is a little bit of what you were asking me, and they were explicit about what it does and doesn’t — it does not do. It was never about censorship, poli- — policing speech, or removing content from anywhere. Its function was to keep Homeland Security officials aware of how bad actors — including human smugglers, transnational criminal organization, and foreign adversaries — could use disinformation to advance their goals. As Secretary Mayorkas said, he has asked former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and former DO- — DAG Jamie Gorelick to lead a thorough review — this is the pause that I was talking about — and assessment as members of the bipartisan Homeland Security Council — Advisory Council. The board will not convene during that period. But the department’s work across several administrations to address disinformation that threatens the security for our country is critical and will continue. So that work is going to continue.
DOOCY: So if it’s pausing because you think the board was mischaracterized, then the disinformation board is being shut down because of disinformation? Is that what’s happening here?
JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I mean, the — the board was put forth for a purpose — right? — to make sure that we really did — really did address what was happening across the country when it came to disinformation.
DOOCY: And it’s okay to wait now at 75 days to address —
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, no, it’s — it’s just — it’s going to pause. There’s been a mischaracterations [sic] from outside — outside forces and so, now what we’re going to do is going to — we’re going to pause it and we’re going to do an assessment. But the work does — the work doesn’t stop. We’re still going to continue the work. The DHS is still going to continue the work.
DOOCY: Okay. There’s a bulletin now that DHS is worried if Roe v. Wade is overturned, there could be violence against the Supreme Court building or Supreme Court justices. Are these threats from pro-abortion activists or anti-abortion activists?
JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, the President is clear on this question. He believes the right to peace- — to peacefully protest in this country is fundamental, but he also believes that violence, threats, and intimidation have no place in political discourse anywhere. That is true whether it is in front of a courthouse or in front of a healthcare clinic and that’s the thing. I feel — it seems like, to us, it is very one-sided on what we call out as — as intimidation or as violence. So we want to make sure we’re calling out on — on ei- — on both sides of what is happening and what we’re seeing. While protests — but while protests have been peaceful to date, the Department of Justice has U.S. Marshals providing support to support [the Supreme] Court Marshal, and the Pres- — and the President believes Congress should pass the legislation to fund increased security for Court and judges as soon as possible. Yesterday, in reference to this, the Department of Homeland Security said they are “committed to protecting Americans’ freedom of speech and other civil rights and civil liberties, including the right to peacefully protest. DHS is also committed to working with our partners across every level of government and the private sector to share timely information and intelligence, prevent all forms of violence, and to support law enforcement — enforcement efforts to keep our communities safe.”
DOOCY: And then, final question, on gas prices: Americans are now spending $5,000 a year on gasoline. That’s almost double what they did a year ago. Where are people supposed to go to get all that extra cash?
JEAN-PIERRE: To get the extra cash to pay for gas?
DOOCY: Yeah.
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, I mean, one of the things that we’ve been very clear about is to do everything in our power to make sure that we lower costs. You know, it is important — we see it. The President understands what the American people is — are — is going through. And that’s why we’re doing everything that we can. We’ve made multiple announcements in the past several — several months of what we’re doing — whether it’s just the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, whether it’s the ethanol 15, to make sure that that — that the American people are not feeling Putin’s price hike. This is where this is coming from. Sixty to seventy percent of the current price hike that we have seen has come from Putin’s aggression against Ukraine.
DOOCY: So, the President announces on March 31st that he’s got all these steps to lower gas prices, and it’s still Putin’s fault, seven weeks later?
JEAN-PIERRE: Well, because — what I’m saying is, since the war — since Putin’s war — aggression against Ukraine started back in February — we did see a spike. But before then, it had — the price — the — the price per gallon had fallen down about 10 cents or more and then Putin started his aggression on Ukraine — his violent aggression on Ukraine — against their democracy, against their — against their sovereignty and we saw about — I mean, the facts show it went up about 60 to 70 percent, so it is Putin’s tax hike. This is what we’re talking about.
