Republicans in Congress are investigating whether the State Department played a role in a Ukrainian NGO’s so-called “Enemies list” of GOP lawmakers, activists, and news outlets that included The Daily Wire and two of its commentators.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday raising concerns about U.S. support of Anatoly Bondarenko and the group he founded, the Data Journalism Agency (TEXTY), that recently published a study with the list.
The study is titled “Rollercoaster: From Trumpists to Communists. The forces in the U.S. impeding aid to Ukraine and how they do it,” and it contains the names of 338 individuals and 76 organizations, including Daily Wire hosts Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, Michael Knowles, Matt Walsh, and Brett Cooper.
Vance and Gaetz, who are also listed, said the study is “largely an excuse to smear a large group of Americans who have been skeptical of aid to Ukraine” and is “being broadcast as a part of a coordinated media strategy that has all the hallmarks of a U.S.-targeting influence operation.”
The lawmakers said they want to assess whether there is a violation of U.S. law, noting that “all Americans can agree that our tax dollars should not be supporting direct attacks on U.S. persons based upon reasonable political disagreement” and requested various records by June 28.
A request for comment has been sent to the State Department. The Daily Wire will update this story if a response is given.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), who is running for a Senate seat, went viral last week with a post to X raising the alarm about what he called an “Enemies list” from TEXTY. The lawmaker said he was included in the list, and his office would reach out to others who were also in the database.
Knowles later posted a letter from Banks and thanked the congressman for “informing me that a U.S. gov’t-affiliated Ukrainian NGO has put me on a hit list.” He added, “ I hope that Congress will heed your advice and stop funding groups that target and endanger American citizens.”
Thank you to @RepJimBanks for informing me that a U.S. gov’t-affiliated Ukrainian NGO has put me on a hit list. I hope that Congress will heed your advice and stop funding groups that target and endanger American citizens. pic.twitter.com/donzUzS4P6
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) June 11, 2024
In the letter to Knowles and Shapiro, Banks said that he sent a separate message to Republican leaders in the House Appropriations Committee, “urging them to stop the State Department and USAID from partnering with any actors overseas who encourage the harassment of Americans.”
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Banks announced in a press release on Wednesday that House Republicans passed a provision that seeks to prohibit funding for TEXTY during the full House Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs funding bill.
“It’s shameful for our agencies to be using Hoosiers’ tax dollars to collaborate with foreign groups that attempt to intimidate U.S. citizens and lawmakers,” Banks said. “I’d like to thank the Republicans on the Appropriations Committee for defunding any such work with” TEXTY.
