House Republicans demand answers on NPR's 'disinformation team' after 'misleading reporting'

Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde led 13 of his House colleagues in a letter demanding answers from the president and CEO of National Public Radio (NPR) about the launch of its disinformation team given the taxpayer-funded outlet's denial of the verified Hunter Biden laptop story, among other stories. 

The Republicans said the details on the disinformation team were "vague, and the program itself is concerning given NPR's proven track record of ironically spreading misinformation related to the 2020 election."

The GOP members of Congress told NPR President and CEO John Lansing, "you abdicated your responsibility of earnestly reporting on a story of significant public interest" involving Hunter Biden's questionable business transactions. 

"Notwithstanding the story's significant public interest, you willfully spread misinformation by suppressing a legitimate, verifiable story about significant political corruption within the Biden family," they wrote. 

The representatives also pointed out how NPR "gave a platform to Nina Jankowicz, who advocated for the creation of the Department of Homeland Security's Orwellian 'Disinformation Governance Board' without including any opposing viewpoints."

In May, Jankowicz was featured on NPR, which said she was "under relentless and sometimes vicious attack from right-wing media and Republican lawmakers," until DHS's controversial Disinformation Governance Board was suspended.

A source familiar with the situation told Just the News that an executive at NPR confirmed receiving the scathing letter, which included eight questions about NPR's disinformation initiative. 

The members of Congress specifically asked Lansing about his prior Democratic campaign contributions, shown through Federal Election Commission records. 

"Given your left-wing political bias, how will you be able to oversee your 'disinformation team' in an unbiased an non-partisan matter?" the Republicans ask, concluding by stating that "Taxpayer dollars should not be funding poorly documented and clearly biased reporting."

Republican Reps. Jim Banks (Ind.), Burgess Owens (Utah), Claudia Tenney (N.Y.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Jody Hice (Ga.), Madison Cawthorn (N.C.), Scott Perry (Penn.), Byron Donalds (Fla.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Guy Reschenthaler (Penn.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Glenn Thompson (Penn.) and Ralph Norman (S.C.) joined Rep. Clyde in signing the letter.

"Given NPR’s notorious track record of spreading disinformation and selectively reporting on politically damaging stories, it’s both comical and concerning that the liberal media organization is now launching a disinformation team," Clyde said in a statement obtained by Just the News.

"After suppressing the truth about Hunter Biden ahead of the 2020 election, it is naive to believe NPR can conduct any operations in a non-partisan manner — especially policing rhetoric that contradicts their liberal narrative. Furthermore, American taxpayer dollars should not be funding blatantly biased reporting or efforts to conceal credible news. It’s far past time we provide the American people with the answers they deserve and hold NPR accountable for conducting nefarious 'journalism' to advance the radical Left’s agenda," he stressed.