Internal documents reveal the State Department attempted to discredit a member of Congress and two journalists

A new investigation is once again targeting the Department of State for violating its mandate not to intervene in the country's internal affairs.

The public institution allegedly tried to discredit two journalists and a member of the U.S. Congress, according to internal documents analyzed by The New York Post. According to the report, it was an attempt to cover up other meddling by the department within U.S. borders.

In March 2023, the department reportedly distributed guidelines to its staff on how to debunk and respond to investigations into one of its bureaus, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), that were done by reporters Matt Taibbi and Gabe Kaminsky.

Taibbi reported that the GEC (in addition to other state agencies and departments) had pressured companies that own social networks to block accounts of Americans who were spreading "disinformation" about COVID-19, such as "speculation" about its possible origin in a laboratory in China or claiming that Bill Gates had run simulations before the outbreak.

Kaminsky reported on a $100,000 grant from the GEC to the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), an organization that ranks media outlets according to their level of credibility. The GDI compiled a blacklist of 10 U.S. newspapers.

The DOS guidelines state, "for the briefer's eyes only," that Taibbi's reporting lacks sufficient evidence and that the evidence presented is taken out of context. It offers, also, an enumeration of responses defending the work of the GEC.

The internal documents also mention Elon Musk, for sharing Taibbi's research, and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) for remarks quoted by a Russian media outlet. The congressman defended himself in a statement:

More evidence against the State Department

The report about the actions allegedly committed by the GEC come on top of another released days earlier by the House Small Business Committee.

After analyzing thousands of documents and hours of hearings and interviews, committee members argued that there was evidence that the State Department funded U.S. data verification firms by using international intermediaries to influence the flow of information within the country.