US State Department closing office aimed at countering foreign disinformation

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday he was shutting down a State Department office that had sought to counter foreign disinformation, accusing it of censorship and wasting U.S. taxpayer money.
Rubio in a statement said he was closing the State Department's Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office, previously known as the Global Engagement Center.

The GEC had already shut down in December 2024 under former Democratic President Joe Biden after Congress did not extend its mandate that was set to expire. It was reorganized to create a different public diplomacy office known as R/FIMI.

The GEC had come under intense criticism from some Republicans who said it was straying from its mission, accusing it of disfavoring opinions by conservative media in particular.