Overview

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed that the Biden administration’s State Department maintained dossiers labeling certain Americans as 'vectors of disinformation.'
• One dossier targeted a Trump cabinet member, though Rubio declined to name the individual, instead offering to turn the file over to the person in question.
• The Global Engagement Center, created in 2016 to counter foreign propaganda, was accused by conservatives of mission creep into domestic censorship before its closure in April 2025.
• Rubio announced that no similar domestic monitoring office will be maintained and emphasized the importance of free speech and transparency as tools to combat disinformation.
• The controversy has reignited partisan debates over the role of government in content moderation, with critics alleging censorship and supporters defending the center’s foreign disinformation work.