Conservative Influencers Misrepresent Routine Revision to Defense Department Policy
Facts And Fact Checking,Conservatives,Defense Department
The Department of Defense published an updated policy on intelligence gathering on Sept. 27.
The update didn’t add any new rules or expand military authority. It just described some existing policy from other, related protocols about the use of force.
But some conservative influencers have misrepresented the revised policy, claiming that it “NOW includes the legal use of lethal force against civilians by the military,” or that the “US military was just ‘authorized to kill Americans on US soil.'”
Others have gone in a decidedly political direction, claiming: “DoD quietly expands military powers just weeks before the 2024 election,” and “Biden & Harris Authorize Military To Use Lethal Force On Americans!!”
An analysis from the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public shows that by Oct. 16 there were thousands of posts and engagements on both mainstream and more niche social media platforms. On that date, there were more than 250 new posts per 12-hour period on “alternative tech” platforms, such as Truth Social and Rumble.
