The Trump administration has made the decision to close down the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/Fimi) hub, the last remaining state department unit dedicated to monitoring foreign disinformation campaigns. This move has been seen as a victory by right-wing critics who accused the office of censoring conservative speech, despite its focus solely on foreign state-level disinformation attacks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the administration’s stance against government overreach in monitoring speech and framed the closure as a step towards protecting Americans’ freedom of expression.

The decision to shutter R/Fimi follows an executive order aimed at countering censorship and restoring freedom of speech, which criticized previous efforts against misinformation as infringing on constitutionally protected speech rights. With the closure of R/Fimi, the state department is left without dedicated resources to combat increasingly sophisticated foreign disinformation campaigns, with countries like Russia, Iran, and China investing significant resources in such operations.

Acting undersecretary Darren Beattie informed R/Fimi staff that the office would be eliminated, leading to the termination of all positions. This move comes after the defunding of the office’s predecessor, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), during the Obama era. The GEC had played a crucial role in developing AI tools to detect deepfakes, exposing propaganda efforts, and uncovering disinformation operations by foreign entities. The closure of R/Fimi raises concerns about the government’s ability to counter foreign disinformation effectively in an era of increasing information warfare.