The US State Department announced the closure of the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office, previously the Global Engagement Center, citing accusations of censorship of conservative speech. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the office, which cost taxpayers over $50 million annually, misused its resources to silence American voices. Rubio emphasized the importance of free speech and criticized the office's actions as contrary to American principles, while previously facing scrutiny from Republicans for its perceived bias against conservative opinions. He asserted that this pattern of censoring dissenting voices must end.
The Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office faced closure as Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused it of censoring conservative speech, claiming it misused taxpayer funds.
'Over the last decade, Americans have been slandered, fired, charged, and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions. That ends today,' Rubio asserted.
Rubio described the actions of the closed office as 'antithetical to the very principles we should be upholding' while noting a lack of evidence for accusations of silencing.
Critics argued that the Global Engagement Center strayed from its original mission, focusing too much on censoring conservative voices instead of combating disinformation.
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