For years, I have written about the Global Engagement Center (GEC) in columns and my book, The Indispensable Right. It was one of the hubs of the censorship network under the Biden Administration, which claimed it was shut down after Congress cut off funding. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio just announced that he has terminated the office, which was operating under a different name (a familiar tactic by the anti-free speech movement).
Secretary Rubio announced the closure of the State Department’s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office, which was previously known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC):
“Over the last decade, Americans have been slandered, fired, charged, and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions. That ends today…
When Republicans in Congress sunset GEC’s funding at the end of last year, the Biden State Department 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.”
Bravo, Mr. Secretary, Bravo.
We previously saw this dishonest practice in the Biden Administration when they claimed to shut down a censorship office only to shift work to other offices.
As we celebrated the demise of the infamous Disinformation Governing Board, the Biden administration never disclosed a larger censorship effort. That includes a recently disclosed back channel to Twitter where dozens of FBI agents tagged citizens for censorship. I have testified on that evidence of evasion and censorship.
The new move will remove 50 full-time staff positions at the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office.
Rubio discussed his decision in an op-ed for The Federalist.
The GEC was part of the Election Integrity Partnership, which we have also discussed as a consortium of nonprofits, social media platforms, and government agencies that were key to the censorship system.
The Biden Administration created censorship offices throughout the government while sending massive amounts of federal funding to groups and universities to help target individuals and groups.
Rooting out these offices and grants will take a prolonged effort, but great progress has already occurred under the Trump Administration. Of course, this will add to the ranks of censorious Ronins looking for new sponsors. Many will find homes in academia and in Europe.
Yet, there is reason to take heart even as we fight to regain the ground lost under Biden. As Winston Churchill said in 1942, “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
DJT – “I’m not involved in it from the standpoint of it’s not my mandate,”
All right, the guy clearly has dementia. He is the President. Yes by definition he is involved. Is this really what you want as your President? Thinks the President of El Salvador is more powerful than him and now claims it’s not his thing. What a dumb piece of snail slime.
WINNING!
SLIME and DEMENTIA was JOE BIDEN! TDS KILLS!
Great Quote John, Churchill is #1 in my book, like an old and now deceased world war II vetern and a great man would often say…George, the average man isn’t worth a F**k, and he was a hard working mason.
“Bravo, Mr. Secretary, Bravo.”
And Bravo, Professor Turley, for all that you do and have endured!
“Elizabeth Warren: If They Can Disappear Abrego Garcia, Then They Can Disappear You To”
Then why isn’t Senator Van Hollen going to El Salvador to rescue Warren?
# . It’s not worth repeating, Young.
Speaking of communism, Comrade General Secretary “Bernie Sanders Spent $221K on Private Jets Amid ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Tour,” per The Washington Free Beacon.
Comrade General Secretary Bernie Sanders represents 324K Americans,
half of the 648K individuals in Vermont,
which constitutes .001% or one thousandth, of the American population.
“Comrade General Secretary “Bernie Sanders Spent $221K on Private Jets Amid ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Tour,””
Imagine how much the hypocritical buzzard spends over a 6 year term in office…
OT
Senator Eric Schmitt
@SenEricSchmitt
Judge Boasberg wasn’t the emergency judge but he inserted himself anyway. We’re moving to rein in activist judges and restore constitutional order.
Finally! For now. They will return. The hard part is the censors think they know more and are better than the free speechers. But for today, thank you Secretary of State Rubio!
The next time someone says the Trump Administration is anti free speech, point to this and calmly explain it was the Trump Administration that dismantled a Obama anti free speech center. Then tell them they have the right to express their opinion due to the Trump Administration.
Secretary Rubio continues to impress me every day!
THE SITTING PRESIDENT IS CONSTITUTIONALLY IMMUNE FROM INDICTMENT AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Department of Justice
Office of Legal Counsel
In 1973, the Department of Justice concluded that the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unduly interfere with the ability of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned duties, and would thus violate the constitutional separation of powers. No court has addressed this question directly, but the judicial precedents that bear on the continuing validity of our constitutional analysis are consistent with both the analytic approach taken and the conclusions reached. Our view remains that a sitting President is constitutionally immune from indictment and criminal prosecution.
RANDOLPH D. MOSS
Assistant Attorney General
Office o f Legal Counsel
Article 2, Section 4
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors
Ref.:
In 1973, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) concluded that a sitting President is not subject to indictment or criminal prosecution because such proceedings would impermissibly interfere with their ability to perform their constitutional duties. This conclusion was based on the separation of powers and the potential for disruption to the executive branch.
Specifically, the 1973 OLC memorandum, known as the Dixon memo, argued that while the Constitution doesn’t explicitly grant the President immunity, the consequences of prosecuting a sitting President would be detrimental to the functioning of the executive branch. The memo stated that such prosecution would “unduly interfere in a direct or formal sense with the conduct of the Presidency”.
This conclusion was later re-affirmed in a 2000 memorandum by the OLC. Both memos emphasized the need to balance the powers of the different branches of government and avoid any interference with the President’s ability to carry out their duties.
Citation: Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel – DOJ
A Sitting President’s Amenability to Indictment and Criminal Prosecution
Date of Issuance: October 16, 2000
Headnotes:
The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions.
Attachment: op-olc-v024-p0222_0.pdf
https://www.justice.gov/file/146241-0/dl [PDF]
Revisited Opinion (E. Volokh): Separation of Powers
Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel Concludes: Constitution Prohibits Continued Federal Prosecution of President-Elect
From Special Counsel Jack Smith’s filing in U.S. v. Trump:
By: Eugene Volokh ~ Circa: 11.25.2024
https://reason.com/volokh/2024/11/25/justice-departments-office-of-legal-counsel-concludes-constitution-prohibits-continued-federal-prosecution-of-president-elect/#:~:text=OLC%20has%20twice%20before%20addressed%20the%20amenability,sense%20with%20the%20conduct%20of%20the%20Presidency%5B.%5D%22
“It is constitutional and an otherwise good idea to permit any inconsequential person to tie up the president with constant, frivolous, civil, criminal, and lawfare cases.”
– U.S. Constitution .001
Marco should ask, who brought you here to fight me?
I’m happy to hear it, but I’m bracing myself for the coming kangaroo-court injunction.
I’m beginning to think that the prog/left have always kept a data base of their egregious operations, with sympathetic judges already earmarked, ready to impede whatever Trump, or any other entity, other than themselves, might gain true power and rightfully want to reconstruct/ demolish.
Con men always have a back up plan and I think the progs knew that they could only run this grift for so long.
I’m sure the army of sheeple don’t know this because they are the true believers in this grift- naive dupes and tools that they are.
It is no doubt carefully orchestrated, as you suggest.
USAID, GEC, yet we have … Many Rivers To Cross … to turn this Country around.
(River DOJ, River CIA/Langley, River FBI, River Federal Reserve, … many Rivers of Corruption)
Rep. Curt Weldon: It’s Time to Finally Tell the Truth About 9-11
After twenty years in congress, Curt Weldon was about to become chairman of the House Armed Services Committee when he publicly questioned the accuracy of the 9-11 report. In retaliation, the Bush administration sent federal agents to his daughter’s house and ended his political career. At 77, Weldon has decided to tell the truth about what actually happened on September 11, 2001.
By: Tucker Carlson – TCN ~ April 15th, 2025
https://tuckercarlson.com/tucker-show-curt-weldon
Video:
https://iframe.cloudflarestream.com/7f25a2c855e03230ef82acf8d9bdf837
9/11 was a Mossad op and controlled demolition, utilizing the elevator infrastructure, to compel U.S. military insertion into the Middle East—Building 7 was hit by nothing.
https://www.ae911truth.org/
Proclamation 80—Calling Forth the Militia and Convening an Extra Session of Congress
“On April 15, 1861,…President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling forth the state militias, to the sum of 75,000 troops, in order to suppress the rebellion. He appealed ‘to all loyal citizens to favor, facilitate, and aid this effort to maintain the honor, the integrity, and the existence of our National Union.’”
Proclamation 92—Warning to Rebel Sympathizers
“[On] July 17, 1862,…I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby proclaim to and warn all persons within the contemplation of said sixth section to cease participating in, aiding, countenancing, or abetting the existing rebellion or any rebellion against the Government of the United States and to return to their proper allegiance to the United States on pain of the forfeitures and seizures as within and by said sixth section provided.”
__________________________________________________________________________________
Abraham Lincoln was a Great American President.
Now President Donald J. Trump MUST implement his rendition of “The Lincoln Era,” close the border, rescind rebel sanctuary cities, compassionately repatriate all illegal and unassimilable aliens, revoke birthright citizenship, make English the sole official language, commence a war to defeat the rebellion, impose martial law, suspend habeas corpus, “smash” rebel printing presses, networks, podcasts, and social media platforms, and imprison political opponents and rebel judges, all in order to save, not the Union, but the Nation, eradicate the communist American welfare state, and place America squarely back on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, including absolute freedom, free enterprise, free industries, free markets, private property, and minimal taxation and regulation, alongside infinitesimal constitutional government.
(SARC/ON)
Kudos for the link to Winston. Not a perfect man by any means (as none of us are) but he certainly could turn a phrase or produce a speech ideal for the circumstances.
One more weasel nest eradicated. The Biden crime family is one of the worst scourges on the public policy of the United States that I have seen. I have not seen them all by any means. Actually the machinations of Biden and his ilk actually make some of our enemies or competitors look more righteous.
We have been screamed at for decades about the dastardly deeds of “Tail gunner Joe” or Richard Nixon but they both seemed to be mere children compared to Biden.
One last question. Does anyone in the Federal Government know how to read a line item of expenses or funding. We keep hearing about the Defense Dept failing audits for years. Maybe people would take this more to heart if Secretaries of Dept lost jobs for failed audits. Or maybe generals dropped back to major or Lt Col for failed audits or admirals dropped back to Capt or Commander for failed audits.
One could only hope.
You may be correct about the egregious Biden, but, remember, Biden was always obama’s tool. And for that matter, the rapid and unreasonable rise of Obama was orchestrated by whom?
Now that is the true $64,000 question.
We are being induced to let Biden become the scapegoat for all the prog poison in our nation – all the way back to our most notably admitted progressive president Woodrow Wilson.
Biden wasn’t even aware at that point. He was a grifter all his life and used the progs for his own advantage until his dementia made him the perfect tool to continue their own grift.
whimsicalmama-I did not forget Obama. It was almost as if he was grown for the job, sort of like covid in Wuhan. He springs up from Hawaii to Chicago and gets elected to President despite a virtually nil record in the Illinois Legislature, and US Senate. His only apparent skill was speeches but no legislative accomplishments. Interesting was it not?
” It was almost as if he was grown for the job”
I believe Obama was shaped for the presidency by a network of dedicated leftists who were mentoring a select group of young individuals. Political acumen, academic connections, financial resources, and a bit of luck ultimately propelled him to the White House.
His rise wasn’t just about personal talent but about the powerful forces that aligned in his favor.
Community Organizer
Translation: Communist
Some say, no!
He’s only a socialist, as are the rest.
________________________________________
Mr. Lenin would like to say a few words.
Mr. Lenin, go ahead.
Ahem!
_________
“The goal of Socialism is Communism.”
-Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
“gets elected to President despite a virtually nil record in the Illinois Legislature, and US Senate.”
Sort of makes one wonder about the recent disclosures about the vulnerability of ballot totals to hackers going back several election cycles, does it not?
# Islam. His name is an anagram for Islamic tool.
The terms “cunning” and “deceitful” do not come close to fully describing the evil that was the Slug at 1600’s cabal.
And darkness fell upon the earth not for just some but all were shrouded in darkness forevermore…
Good article professor. Censorship and assaults on the first amendment are the beginning of ruin in a democracy. It will be interesting to read your take on Trump’s attempt to silence CBS and the AP along with his attempts to persecute law firms who have previously been hired to investigate him. Looking forward to these articles sir. Thank you.
No one is Censoring CBS or AP. They are free to spew whatever propaganda they want. Access to the primary source is not censoring. Do other media, until now never given access, whine like these little piggies?
This is a deflection from the real truth that most MSM have been nothing but propaganda machines for dems/prog since Joe McCarthy tried to expose their agenda 75 years ago.
Face it, these progs have had 75+ years to use our media/education industries to push their agendas under the cover of their self-proclaimed banner of truth. In fact, that ironic adage of ” all the news you need to hear” is more suitable.
“interesting to read your take on Trump’s attempt to silence CBS and the AP “
Jeff, you should correct yourself. Trump is not silencing the AP or CBS. They are still free to write what they want.
Bravo to the Trump Administration, as it continues to appy the Mileian chainsaw to Big Government in the form of spending cuts, deregulation, and the trimming the bloated Deep State bureaucracy, reviving the foundational principles of liberty and freedom, in the name of government by, of and for the Sovereign People. It’s time to take the knee of Big Government off the neck of The People.
This means Russia and China can now spread propaganda unfettered in the U.S.
Turley doesn’t seem to understand the distinction between censorship and content moderation.
Trump is actively attacking free speech by demanding news organization’s broadcast licenses be suspended or shutting down programs he doesn’t like. What about punishing students for exercsising their free speech rights and political views? Turley remains silent on these issues precisely because he knows he will face a furious MAGA backlash if he does. Sucking up to Trump is the safe thing to do for Turley. Just look at how his mild criticism of Trump’s threats to revoke Harvard’s tax exempt status over their refusal to bow down to his demands has produced angry responses and ignorant rants about things they don’t understand. The rabid responses are what keeps professsors like Turley cowed into supporting Trump’s unlawful actions and unhinged claims.
You must be a Liberal who only listens to your left wing news organizations! If you were an Indep like I am who seeks news from numerous outlets/podcasts/websites to seek the truth then you would not be saying what you are! There is a lot of FAKE news out there and I am going to agree with Rubio on this one and Turley! I am going to suggest you spread your wings so you will also see that their are LIES coming out from the left much more than the right! Watch and listen to Joe Rogan, Megan Kelly, Newsmax and the list goes on!
Oh so you listen to NPR, CNN, NBC, the AP, Reuters, Fox News, MSNBC, NewsMax etc. and your take is that Trump isn’t attacking free speech. I suspect you’re not being honest.
If you were you wouldn’t label me as a Liberal first and jump to assumptions.
You say they are lying, but you offer no proof that they are indeed lying. It seems more likely you’re operating from a closed mind instead of an open one.
He doesn’t LIKE, George?? You may want to come to the reality that almost seven-eight million United States citizens, and probably even many more than that are in total agreement with just exactly what President Trump is doing! We have had listen to your so-called left-of-center news organizations falsely eviscerate and excoriate both President Trump and We The People for the last four-year. Many of whom, were attacked, arrested, thrown in prison or killed just for voicing their Constitutional right to free speech! So, now that there is a new Sheriff in town maybe we just DON’T want or need your leftest opinion any longer! And NO, I will not apologize for stomping on your so-called free speech rights. Considering how I also have had to hear your type of rhetoric for the last four-years! Have a good day George.
Uh, no. Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest Civiqs poll (April 16, 2025):
Favorable: 43%
Unfavorable: 53% (-10%)
Unsure: 4%
clown gigi picks her most favorable poll. Look at Harvard-Harris, at 48-46, or Rasmussen 53-48
And you don’t seem to comprehend that you have been indoctrinated and used as a tool. But we know that about you and regard you with an appropriate amount of disdain.
There is no difference between censorship and content moderation. You want to argue semantics, that is fine, but it still prevents an unfavored opinion from being heard by either cutting it out or drowning it out with favorable opinions.
That’s why the Founders gave us actual Americans a severely restricted-vote republic—the leeches, parasites, and idiots were never intended to vote—as it has been since the inception of restricted-vote democracy in Greece and its perpetuation in Rome.
I cheer the end of these stealth offices of censorship by the Trump administration. I pray they do not open their own versions behind our backs.
The Trump administration just directed the FCC director to investigate media outlets that they believe aren’t “being honest” with the public.
Turley has no comment.
We can take that in a non-uproarious fashion. It could be as simple as looking into MSM to see if they actually do qualify as “news outlets”, especially since a single lawsuit downgraded Fox to “Entertainment”
Biden was the most corrupt president in US History.
Secretary Rubio is an American treasure. Fearless.
Secretary of State Rubio is an American treasure. He will make an outstanding POTUS, should he decide to run for that office.