Hawley demands DHS Secretary Mayorkas turn over docs on disinformation board

FIRST ON FOX: Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., demanded Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas turn over documents on the disinformation governance board, which was recently placed on ice amid heavy scrutiny. 

Hawley led the letter with four of his GOP colleagues on Monday demanding "immediate access to all records and communications related to "the board from DHS, as the secretary had promised under oath in his May 4 hearing."

Joining Hawley on the letter were fellow GOP Senators Rick Scott of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky, James Lankford of Oklahoma, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

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"We were pleased to read reports that you have decided to shut down the board in response to the concerns we raised," the letter reads. "But it is important that this mistake is not repeated."

"We are therefore demanding transparency into the Department’s decision-making process so that we can learn why the Department ever thought creating a disinformation board would be a good idea," the senators wrote.

The Republicans pointed out that during his recent Senate testimony, Mayorkas "accepted sole responsibility for appointing Nina Jankowicz as its Executive Director" but they were surprised the secretary was unaware of "her long history of partisan public statements."

The lawmakers also wrote that Mayorkas "testified under oath that you would produce to the Committee all records related to the Board, including its formation and appointment of personnel" and that the department "‘will produce the documents that you have requested,unless there’s a legal prohibition’" preventing them from doing so.

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"Our offices still have not received any of these documents," the senators wrote. "We are therefore writing to demand immediate access to all records and communications related to the Disinformation Governance Board."

The senators called on Mayorkas to produce all "records related to the Department’s Disinformation Governance Board" including "written or recorded communications concerning the formation of the Board," "any communications with the White House about the formation of the Board or appointment of officials to serve on the Board, and "any legal review to determine whether the activities of the Board would be authorized by the Constitution of the United States."

They also said for "any documents that are responsive to this request but withheld from the Committee, please identify the name of each document, the date of its creation, the custodian, a summary of its contents, and the basis for withholding the record from the Committee."

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Mayorkas testified to the Senate on the newly-dissembled disinformation governance board that sparked massive backlash and drawing Orwellian comparisons.

Jankowicz resigned from her post last week after the board was put on pause.