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Rubio: To Protect Free Speech, The Censorship-Industrial Complex Must Be Dismantled
The Federalist ^ | April 16, 2025 | Marco Rubio

Posted on 04/16/2025 5:21:53 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

No matter what name it goes by, the Global Engagement Center is dead. It will not return.

During his historic comeback campaign in 2024, President Trump vowed to close the book on a dark chapter in America’s constitutional history: the weaponization of America’s own government to silence, censor, and suppress the free speech of ordinary Americans. The American people responded to this promise by giving President Trump a landslide victory last November.

Everything this administration has done since then has been laser-focused on fulfilling the promises made during that campaign. Today, it is my pleasure to announce the State Department is taking a crucial step toward keeping the president’s promise to liberate American speech by abolishing forever the body formerly known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC).

GEC was supposed to be dead already. But, as many have learned the hard way, in Washington, D.C., few things ever truly die. When Republicans in Congress sunset GEC’s funding at the end of last year, the Biden State Department simply slapped on a new name. The GEC became the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R-FIMI) office, with the same roster of employees. With this new name, they hoped to survive the transition to the new administration.

Today, we are putting that to an end. Whatever name it goes by, GEC is dead. It will not return.

Over the past half-decade, bodies like GEC, crafted by our own governing ruling class, nearly destroyed America’s long free speech history. The enemies of speech had new lingo to justify their authoritarian impulse. It was “disinformation,” allegedly pushed by nefarious foreign governments, that was the No. 1 threat to “our democracy.” To protect “our democracy,” this “disinformation” had to be identified and stamped out.

GEC’s history shows the pernicious way Washington turns laudable public goals...

(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:
The threat to free speech is systemic, as illustrated below:

"Why Joe Rogan’s Recent Tilt Is So Dangerous"

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4311452/posts

1 posted on 04/16/2025 5:21:53 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Not enough rusty piano wire.


2 posted on 04/16/2025 5:24:23 PM PDT by Fester Chugabrew (Are you now, or have you ever been, a Democrat?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

He has totally surprised me. I didn’t think he would be this good.


3 posted on 04/16/2025 5:29:16 PM PDT by roving
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To: roving
He has totally surprised me. I didn’t think he would be this good.

Me too.

4 posted on 04/16/2025 5:56:48 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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To: roving

“ He has totally surprised me. I didn’t think he would be this good.”
I’m with you, Marco has done a fantastic job so far.


5 posted on 04/16/2025 6:54:54 PM PDT by wjcsux (On 3/14/1883 Karl Marx gave humanity his best gift, he died. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
"No matter what name it goes by, the Global Engagement Center is dead. It will not return."

The pigressive ministry of truth.
6 posted on 04/17/2025 1:55:49 AM PDT by clearcarbon (Fraudulent elections have consequences.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Bumping with a link to comments on Rubio’s article by Jonathan Turley.

“GEC is Dead: Rubio Shuts Down Censorship Program...”

https://jonathanturley.org/2025/04/17/gec-is-dead-secretary-rubio-shuts-down-censorship-program-that-the-biden-administration-claimed-was-ended/


7 posted on 04/17/2025 6:17:54 AM PDT by CFW
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