In a lawsuit filed earlier this week, a conservative watchdog charged that the Biden administration helped to censor Americans on social media. 

According to the New York Post, that allegation was put forward in federal court on Monday by the Functional Government Initiative (FGI).

Material from State Department subgroup being sought

At issue are activities undertaken by the Department of State and its subagency known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which closed late last month.

The Global Engagement Center's stated mission was "[to] direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate U.S. Federal Government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations."

However, FGI has sought material under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) pertaining to efforts it took at influencing social media companies.

Also of interest are ideologically motivated non-governmental organizations which the GEC funneled American tax dollars to.

The Post published an article in September detailing how the State Department sought to discredit two reporters and a member of Congress who raised questions about the GEC's agenda.

Those with dissenting views on COVID were targeted

The Post noted that independent journalist Matt Taibbi and Washington Examiner investigative reporter Gabe Kaminsky previously delved into the GEC's censorious practices.

This included pressuring tech companies to suppress dissenting views regarding COVID-19, something which Taibbi testified before Congress about in 2023.

1.THREAD: The Twitter Files
Twitter and the FBI “Belly Button” pic.twitter.com/nfOGQGlvUM

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023

"We learned Twitter, Facebook, Google, and other companies developed a formal system for taking in moderation ‘requests’ from every corner of government: the FBI, DHS, HHS, DOD, the Global Engagement Center at State, even the CIA," he told lawmakers.

FGI: Biden administration's "censorship industrial complex must be exposed"

Peter McGinnis is a spokesman for FGI, and he told the Post, "Just because the GEC is shutting its doors, it doesn’t mean FGI is shutting down our investigation."

"The layers of the Biden-Harris State Department’s censorship industrial complex must be exposed so that all which occurred in 2020, along with any attempts to suppress free speech during the 2024 election, comes to light," he added.

FGI stated in a court filing that it "is being irreparably harmed by reason of Defendant’s unlawful withholding of requested records, and FGI will continue to be irreparably harmed unless Defendant is compelled to conform its conduct to the requirements of the law,"

"The responsive records would provide increased transparency and allow the public to see if and how State Department officials were collaborating or discussing EU censorship,” the filing added.