After the 2016 election, the program's focus shifted to targeting "foreign interference" in elections. By 2020, it had morphed into something far more sinister: A government-funded operation targeting individual American voices.

Sec. of State Marco Rubio’s new interview just went viral. And he's NOT talking about tariffs or China. He exposed a secret $50M shadow agency inside the State Department that tried to silence Americans... Here’s what you should know (& how they tried to erase free speech): 🧵

It all started innocently enough 10-15 years ago. The State Department created a program to counter terrorist messaging from al-Qaida and ISIS. Who could argue with that? But here's where it gets disturbing...

The man running this operation? Richard Stengel – who publicly claimed: "Donald Trump talks just like a Russian spy, he talks just like a terrorist, and so do the people around him." This wasn't just talk. They had a sophisticated system to silence opposition.

Here's how the censorship machine worked: The State Department funded supposedly "impartial" NGOs with taxpayer money. These third-party groups then tagged American commentators and media outlets as "foreign agents." But that was just the beginning...

The consequences were real and devastating. These weren't just labels – they led to Americans getting deplatformed and silenced online. High-profile targets included Ben Shapiro and The Federalist. But countless everyday citizens were also caught in the dragnet.

Just when you think it couldn't get more shocking: Before Trump took office, they didn't shut down the unit. They simply renamed it and moved it elsewhere in the bureaucracy. A classic government shell game to avoid accountability.

The most disturbing part? American taxpayers were unknowingly funding this censorship apparatus. Your tax dollars were being used to silence fellow Americans for exercising their First Amendment rights.

Sec. Rubio's team has been quietly dismantling this system over recent months. They're documenting what happened for two critical reasons: So those harmed can prove they were targeted to ensure it never happens again.

But that's not the end of the story. We're now facing an even bigger threat from abroad. The European Union has become increasingly aggressive in censoring speech, including targeting Americans speaking about American issues.

A concrete example: When Elon Musk hosted Donald Trump on X during the election season, EU officials threatened him with penalties. This was two non-EU citizens, discussing American politics, being threatened by foreign censors. The stakes couldn't be higher.

Here's what's even more concerning: The foreign censorship laws in places like the EU were partly shaped by the same ecosystem partners that were funded by the State Department. It created a global censorship machine that's still operating.

The EU Digital Services Act now threatens Americans with fines for speech that would be protected under our First Amendment. They've already threatened a billion-dollar fine against X for "non-compliance with disinformation" standards.

In a stark shift from previous policy, Rubio has raised this issue directly with foreign leaders, including at a recent Oval Office meeting with the UK Prime Minister. The message: Attacks on free expression undermine one of the core values that unite Western democracies.

The State Department is now refocusing on pro-American messaging and protecting free speech globally. A complete reversal from the previous censorship approach that targeted Americans.

What's the lesson here? As Rubio put it: "Sometimes, some idea that starts out as innocuous or maybe even good intention can metastasize, becomes a weapon that can be turned into something else by someone else."

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