A win for free speech: State Department SHUTS DOWN controversial disinformation office

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially shut down the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) Office on April 16, calling it a successor to the controversial Global Engagement Center (GEC), which was accused of censoring domestic political speech.
• Rubio condemned R/FIMI as “shameful” and “antithetical to American principles,” accusing it of using taxpayer funds to silence Americans—particularly conservative voices—rather than focusing on foreign disinformation.
• While initially created to counter foreign propaganda (under Obama), the GEC later engaged in domestic content moderation, partnering with tech platforms and third-party groups like the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) to suppress “malinformation,” including right-leaning media. –
• The GEC faced bipartisan scrutiny, defunding by Congress in 2023 and lawsuits alleging First Amendment violations. R/FIMI’s termination followed a White House directive to curb speech-related overreach, with employees placed on leave ahead of dismissal.
• Rubio framed the closure as restoring free speech, stating the Trump administration is committed to protecting Americans’ rights, calling it a pivotal step against government-led censorship.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that a controversial office under his department will be dismantled.

In a statement Wednesday, April 16, Rubio officially closed the Department of State‘s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) Office. R/FIMI serves as the successor to the controversial Global Engagement Center (GEC), which was criticized for its suppression of domestic political speech.

“For centuries, the U.S. served as a beacon of hope for millions of people around the world,” the secretary began. However, Rubio mentioned that in recent years, “Americans had been “slandered, fired, charged and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions. That ends today.”

The former senator for Florida dubbed R/FIMI as a “shameful” example of government overreach. He also condemned its trajectory as “antithetical to American principles.” According to Rubio, the office “spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving.” (Related: Rubio vows to end State Department programs that “open the door to censorship”.)

“It is the responsibility of every government official to continuously work to preserve and protect the freedom for Americans to exercise their free speech,” the secretary continued. “Under the administration of President [Donald] Trump, we will always work to protect the rights of the American people, and this is an important step in continuing to fulfill that commitment.”

The rise and fall of the GEC

Established last year as a scaled-down version of the GEC, R/FIMI was initially tasked with combating foreign propaganda from nations like China, Russia and Iran. The original office was established during the term of former President Barack Obama with the same mission of countering foreign propaganda.

The GEC later expanded into domestic content moderation, collaborating with collaborating with tech platforms to flag or remove posts deemed “malinformation.” This put the GEC in the crosshairs of bipartisan scrutiny, until it was defunded by Congress in 2023.

Moreover, evidence mounted that the GEC’s efforts increasingly targeted American citizens and media – particularly conservative voices – through indirect censorship partnerships. Organizations like the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) and NewsGuard labeled right-leaning outlets as “unreliable,” prompting advertisers to withdraw support.

Incidentally, both GDI and NewsGuard were funded in part by GEC grants – highlighting how government-backed ratings systems throttled dissenting viewpoints. A 2023 lawsuit by the Daily Wire and The Federalist, with the backing of the state of Texas, accused the GEC of First Amendment violations.

R/FIMI employees were abruptly informed of their office’s termination in a meeting with Acting Undersecretary Darren Beattie, with remaining staff placed on administrative leave ahead of their dismissal. According to Reclaim The Net, Beattie had already ordered staff to stop working weeks earlier.

The closure aligns with a broader White House directive to halt federal programs accused of infringing on free speech under the guise of combating “misinformation.” An executive order recently criticized such efforts for advancing “the Government’s preferred narrative” while suppressing constitutionally protected expression.

Rubio ultimately framed the closure of R/FIMI as a victory for the First Amendment. “Freedom of speech and expression have been a cornerstone of what it means to be an American citizen,” he wrote in his statement Wednesday.

Watch Alex Jones of InfoWars exposing the censorship he faced at the hands of the GEC, which Rubio eventually dismantled in its scaled-down version.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Victory for free speech as State Department shuts down censorship agency.

State Department tried to discredit reporters in censorship “blacklisting” scandal.

State Department’s GEC closure could be a smokescreen for continued censorship.

Sources include:

ReclaimTheNet.org 1

State.gov

ReclaimTheNet.org 2

Brighteon.com