This is part of a Washington Examiner series on self-styled "disinformation" tracking groups that are blacklisting and trying to defund conservative media outlets. Here is where you can read other stories in the series.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) is pressing the State Department for answers over it funding the Global Disinformation Index, a group the Washington Examiner revealed is feeding conservative website blacklists to advertising companies.
The State Department-backed Global Engagement Center and National Endowment for Democracy, a nonprofit group, granted about $665,000 to the GDI between 2020 and 2021, records show. Buck, who sits on the House Judiciary and House Foreign Affairs committees, is the latest Republican lawmaker demanding the department provide information in connection to funding of GDI, according to a letter the congressman sent Wednesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
DISINFORMATION INC: DARRELL ISSA DEMANDS STATE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATE CONSERVATIVE BLACKLIST GROUP
"Taxpayers employ the State Department and all its officials to promote their interests and protect the Constitution," Buck wrote in his letter. "Paying foreign (and domestic) entities to perform what is essentially censorship is troubling on two fronts: it wastes taxpayer funds and undermines constitutional protections for freedom of speech."
GDI compiles a "dynamic exclusion list" of conservative websites, including the Washington Examiner, that it flags as the biggest peddlers of disinformation. The group has claimed that the 10 "riskiest" news outlets are the Daily Wire, the New York Post, RealClearPolitics, the Federalist, and other right-leaning websites.
On the contrary, the group alleges that the "least risky" websites are the Associated Press, Insider, the New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed News, HuffPost, and other left-leaning publications.
"For these reasons, we request the U.S. Department of State cease all current and future taxpayer funding of the GDI and all other efforts from the State Department to fund “disinformation research” that silences American citizens," Buck's letter continued.
Buck's letter comes roughly one week after his Republican colleague, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), urged the State Department to investigate its grants to GDI. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) is another lawmaker who has called for an inquiry, as well as demanded documents from the department about GDI funding.
Buck asked the State Department to say how many entities it is "currently funding that implicate the free speech rights of American citizens." He also asked how much in taxpayer dollars has been sent to third parties that purportedly "implicate" free speech.
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While the National Endowment for Democracy has said it will no longer provide future grants to GDI, the Global Engagement Center has not made such a commitment.
In addition, the congressman seeks to know whether the State Department has "sought or received information" from GDI or the Digital Forensic Research Lab, a group tracking alleged "disinformation" under the Atlantic Council, a think tank, on their methodologies.