Elon Musk might think that the US State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) is, in his words, the “worst offender in US government censorship and media manipulation” – but this federal agency is not without its fans. For example, the George W. Bush Presidential Center has just called for continued funding of the GEC – despite the fact this entity has flagged thousands of Twitter accounts, and funds third parties to censor online speech. Naturally, the George W. Bush Presidential Center doesn’t say it supports the work of the GEC because it excels at censorship – but instead, you guessed it, to better fight “misinformation.” The argument in favor of making sure the agency continues to get all the money it needs hinges on the current geopolitical crisis as a handy excuse to promote the continued funding of this highly controversial entity. A blog post on the institution’s site says that the GEC role is to “lead and coordinate” government’s activities in countering “foreign disinformation.” The post mentions a number of examples of this “foreign mischief” as proof that efforts need to continue to suppress what are seen as disinformation campaigns. The GEC, other than needing to be properly funded, has also made some mistakes in its work thus far, “supporting more than leading” government’s efforts, the Presidential Center noted, adding that it has accepted recommendations from the State Department’s Office of Inspector General’s and is now expected to work better. And the Center would like social platforms to continue…George W. Bush Center supports anti-“disinformation” group, the worst “offender” in Twitter censorship demands