by Matthew Holloway | Aug 12, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Legal documentation obtained by AZ Free News has revealed detailed allegations surrounding the pending termination of Voice of America (VOA) Director Michael Abramowitz and the assertions of U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Acting-CEO Kari Lake that efforts to block his termination are unconstitutional.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, Abramowitz received a notice of reassignment to become the Chief Management Officer of the VOA’s Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station of the International Broadcasting Bureau in Greenville, NC. It was conveyed to him in a July 8th memo that “this geographic reassignment was needed to ensure adequate front-office supervision of USAGM’s primary domestic transmission facility for VOA content during this key transitional period.”
Per the response to Abramowitz’s legal motion, USAGM leaders informed Abramowitz at that time that his “presence in Greenville was needed to support an evaluation of the potential for an expanded USAGM staff presence at that facility.”
In a notification sent to Abramowitz, Senior Advisor to USAGM John Zadrozny wrote:
“The memorandum further directed you to complete and return the acknowledgment section to the Office of Human Resources at ExecutiveResources@usagm.gov no later than July 29, 2025.
“It also stated in no uncertain terms that, should you decline to accept the reassignment, you would be subject to removal under adverse action procedures pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 7543. On July 29, 2025, you declined the reassignment.”
In a post to X on Monday, Lake explained, “The Former VOA Director was offered the opportunity to continue his employment at our transmitting station in North Carolina, a place that could benefit from his experience. Unfortunately, he declined his reassignment.”
The document further describes the justification for Abramowitz’s removal, stating, “The reassignment to Greenville was strategically aligned with agency priorities. Specifically, your presence at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station was needed to ensure executive-level oversight and leadership during a critical period. This new role would have included directing and focusing staff at the facility on clearly defined operational and strategic priorities, while continuing to maintain and improve day-to-day operations there. It also involved providing regular feedback, direction, and training to ensure the facility staff remained engaged in fulfilling key agency objectives, including efforts to streamline agency functions in accordance with statutory requirements.”
Addressing Abramowitz’s argument that “Congress expressly provided that the ‘head[] of Voice of America . . . may only be . . . removed if such action has been approved by a majority vote of the [International Broadcasting] Advisory Board,’” the USAGM leadership counters that “the Chief Executive Officer, acting on the President’s behalf, may lawfully remove the Voice of America Director, an inferior officer.”
In the filing, USAGM argues, “The power to remove an inferior officer can be vested only in ‘the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments,’” citing the U.S. Constitution as well as other legal precedents. “Here, that means the Voice of America Director—an inferior officer—must be removable at will by the President or the Agency’s Chief Executive Officer (the head of the Agency) acting on the President’s behalf.”
The agency also argues that, along constitutional grounds, due to the USAGM’s status as an executive branch agency, the U.S. District Court “lacks the power to enjoin Mr. Abramowitz’s removal as the Voice of America Director.” It notes that “under traditional principles of equity, courts of equity have no power over appointments and removals.”
In a brief statement to AZ Free News, Lake wrote, “We have numerous SES (Senior Executive Service) employees, all of whom are paid handsomely, and some of whom have been sitting home on paid administrative leave collecting a paycheck, but not working. That’s not fair to the taxpayer. We have positions where we need their skills, and we are attempting to get them into place where they can be helpful to our mission.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 10, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Kari Lake’s work as Acting-Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has progressed significantly in recent months after damning revelations in June on the state of the agency and its subsidiary operations including Voice of America (VOA). In her latest move to root out waste and international influence at VOA, Michael Abramowitz, the Biden-appointed now-former Director of VOA, was reportedly terminated Friday after he refused reassignment to a posting in Greenville, North Carolina.
According to a legal filing from Abramowitz, he was informed on July 8, 2025, that he was “removed from his ‘current position of Director, Voice of America’ and reassigned to a different one—as Chief Management Officer in Greenville, North Carolina,” and if he did not “accept” this reassignment he would face “adverse action procedures.”
Abramowitz reportedly responded in an email that the decision to “remove [him] from [his] position as Director of Voice of America[] . . . is illegal” because, “[u]nder the law,” the VOA director “can only be removed . . . with the approval of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board.”
As reported by the Washington Post, Abramowitz was subsequently terminated for “failure to accept directed geographic reassignment.”
Responding to the initial WaPo article on Abramowitz’s termination, Lake lampooned it as “biased,” and “anti-American propaganda,” in a post to X.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, Abramowitz has consistently worked in opposition to Lake and the Trump administration, actively speaking out against Lake’s program to “rightsize” the agency to within its statutory limits.
Responding to a raft of cost-saving measures Lake announced in early May, which included the termination of at least 584 employees and the end of J-1 visa employment, Abramowitz said he was “heartbroken” over the downsizing.
“I find this action inexplicable, and to my knowledge, no rationale has been provided by USAGM for this decision,” he wrote in a statement to the Post. “We will continue to make efforts to help individual PSCs, especially those who face possible return to hostile countries, in any and every way we can during this difficult time,” he continued, in a clear break from USAGM leadership under Lake.
In a letter he posted on Linkedin, Abramowitz informed VOA staff of his imminent ouster writing, “I wanted you to be aware that my lawyers have filed a motion in federal court today challenging efforts by USAGM to remove me as director of Voice of America. They believe USAGM’s action is plainly illegal. I can’t say much about the details of the case beyond what is laid out in the court filing. But I do want to stress that this action is not about me personally but about preserving the rule of law and fulfilling VOA’s vital mission of delivering fact-based news and information about America to the world.”
Correction: This story has been updated to reference Kari Lake’s new title as Acting-Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 2, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona State Representative John Gillette (R-LD30) shared a post on Wednesday containing images and video footage taken at Dobson High School from Turning Point Action Field Representative Angel Guess. The images and video footage depicted Black Lives Matter (BLM) and pro-LGBTQ material in the classroom.
In her post, Guess wrote, “Attention Mesa Residents, mothers, fathers… this is what your taxpayer dollars pay for.. School starts tomorrow [at Dobson High] and YOUR kids are walking into this. Video from today!”
She continued, “Mesa Public School District is this what parents subscribe to when they sign your enrollment agreement? Not my child! Who agrees?”
Sharing the post, Representative Gillette declared it to be “Another advertisement for the Arizona ESA voucher program.”
“Govt schools can’t understand why their student count keeps falling. Woke indoctrination, DEI, and poor academic results are destroying government schools,” Gillette added.
The post to X has since garnered the attention of former Republican Congressional candidate Josh Barnett, who observed, “This is why school choice is so important and allowing Private/charter schools to prosper.”
Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake excoriated the district, writing, “Stop radicalizing our children! Cut all taxpayer funding to woke public schools. Our kids deserve better.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, Dobson High School has a history of alignment with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts such as the “No Place For Hate” (NPFH) program of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of Arizona, which named Dobson as an NPFH school in 2022.
As recently as July 18th, Arizona Women of Action posted a thread on X, making serious allegations that “There are explicit books in MPS libraries. High schools. Middle schools. Even ELEMENTARY schools.”
The texts reportedly include: “Push” by Sapphire, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison (which both detail sexual abuse), “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins, which has been removed from schools in 13 states for references to drug use, sexual abuse, and suicide, and “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher, which is available in elementary schools and has been challenged in dozens of school districts for its sexually explicit content and discussion of suicide.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jul 13, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a social media post that has garnered wide speculation, Arizona Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego announced that he’s headed for Iowa to hold a Quad Cities Townhall meeting and is expected to appear at the State Fair in Des Moines as part of a two-day tour on August 8th and 9th. Gallego’s staff told the Des Moines Register that the Senator intends to discuss the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he refers to as the “disastrous budget bill.”
Given that his visit follows one from 2028 Democrat Presidential hopeful and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in May, it appears likely that Gallego is testing the waters in the 2028 shadow primary that is unfolding in Iowa.
The Arizona Republic’s Laurie Roberts seemed to share the assessment that Gallego is eyeing the presidency in an op-ed published on Thursday in which she cited a video released by Gallego in which crowds are chanting for him set to Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Roberts wrote that on August 8th, Gallego “will make the ritual trip of any politician who dreams of becoming president — to the Iowa State Fair to gobble down corn dogs and gobble up some attention.” She quipped that the 45-year-old first-term Senator “thinks Iowa can make him a star… He’s not. Not yet anyway. But he’s clearly hoping to become one.”
Commentary on his post to X alternated between condemnation for “already eyeing his next job,” to critics asking, “Do you ever do your job for your own damn state?”
Gallego’s chief of staff, Raphael Chavez-Fernandez, told the Register in a statement, “Like most Iowans, Ruben Gallego didn’t grow up having things handed to him — he had to work hard and pay his dues. That’s why he’s headed to the Hawkeye State to call out those who backed Trump’s billionaire tax scam at the expense of Iowa’s good, hard-working people. Ruben’s not afraid to say the quiet part out loud: that Iowa families are getting screwed, and Iowans deserve leaders who will fight for them every single day.”
Turning Point Action’s Jeanette Garcia called the move, “Embarrassing.”
Gallego’s 2024 Republican opponent for Senate, Kari Lake, weighed in writing, “This guy has only been in the Senate for about 15 minutes, and he’s already looking for his next position. I love the people of Iowa. I love the people of Arizona. And they both deserve better than Ruben Gallego.”
Former AZGOP Exec, Member-at-Large Christian Lamar responded quipping, “Ruben Gallego is the blueprint for another useless politician, who squats in office and moves up to another higher office. Gallego actually believes he’s more popular than Kamala Harris.”
Emerson College polling released in June seemed to disagree though, determining that former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stands to be the leading contender in a potential 2028 DNC Primary followed by Former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Gallego didn’t appear among the 15 potential candidates.
In May, prior to speaking to voters in Pennsylvania at a similar speaking event, Gallego seemed to demure from talk of a 2028 Presidential Run in comments to NBC News when he called the question of a presidential run “a land mine,” adding, “Has it ever crossed my mind? F—ing of course, I’m an elected official, it crosses my mind. Am I thinking about it right now? Absolutely not.”
However, Gallego boasted, “Big donors, big organizations, well-known political big Democratic operatives that have encouraged me to run. I’m not denying that.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 29, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Salacious past rumors surrounding Democrat Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ01) resurfaced Wednesday during Congressional testimony from Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lake’s testimony, entitled Spies, Lies, and Mismanagement: Examining the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s Downfall, laid out a devastating case against the agency that manages Voice of America (VOA) as well as the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Lake described an editorial firewall at the VOA, which prevents U.S. policymakers from influencing coverage yet allows foreign actors like the Chinese government to exert huge pressure. During her testimony, Lake also confronted Stanton with the prospect that VOA could potentially report on long-held rumors that the Congressman had a homosexual affair several years ago. In such an event, she explained, Stanton would be powerless to prevent the government news outlet from reporting the story he contends is false. In fact, he would be sued for even trying to.
According to VOA, “The firewall prohibits interference by any U.S. government official in the objective, independent reporting of news,” as per the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017.
“Your job is to tell the people of the world the truth about America,” Stanton said. “And because of that, there is a more fundamental issue that I want to address today, and that is character.”
Under that thin veneer of justification, Stanton then followed with a lengthy tirade launching ad hominem attacks on Lake’s character, her truthfulness about elections, and openly accused her of lying about the conduct of both the Arizona and U.S. Presidential elections. Citing her legal battles following her gubernatorial and senatorial election defeats, the Arizona Congressman scorned Lake as “an adjudicated liar.”
Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Issa was compelled to intervene when Stanton accused Lake of being a “liar” and a “loser” and called upon the Congressman to adhere to the House rules of decorum.
Lake, finally able to answer when Stanton yielded his time back to the chair, replied, “That was complete insanity. Can I respond to that because that was complete insanity? I wish I could yield back the last five minutes of my life, and I want to apologize to the people of Arizona that we have somebody who’s representing the folks in one of our great parts of the Valley that doesn’t care about the integrity of our elections.”
Turning to address Stanton she continued, “But you weren’t here, you came in late, and we were talking about USAGM today, the Agency for Global Media, and how they can put out absolute, abject lies, and we can’t control any… We have no say over what the editorial content is, and I would hope that you would not be okay with that.”
Lake then made a personal appeal to Stanton, referencing a long-held rumor in Congress, the existence of which has been independently verified by AZ Free News.
“They could literally put out a lie about anybody here, and I know you’ve been a victim of that. I know you’ve been a victim. I remember the stories about you when they said you had a gay lover, and those were going out.”
“Mr. Chair,” Stanton burst out angrily. “I hope you honor what you just gave as a caution to everyone, and I move those words be stricken.”
Undeterred, Lake continued her point, “To tell you that those kind of lies, and you said they were lies, those kinds of lies can be broadcast today on VOA, and you can’t pick up the phone, Representative Stanton, and call them and say, ‘Hey, you’re putting out lies about me.’ You would not be able to do that because they would sue you for breaking the firewall.
“So, lies are being told on Voice of America; it’s inappropriate. You’ve been subjected to lies that you said were lies about you in the media before, and how would you like those lies were put on Voice in America right now? Because they could do it, and you couldn’t do a thing about it. You couldn’t stop it. You couldn’t stop all those lies that you said were said about you if they went on Voice of America today. You’d have to sit and take it.”
Chairman Issa ruled on Stanton’s request to strike Lake’s comments, noting that Lake “was responding and I thought rather complimentary. That in fact those were untrue and she was defending that. So, I’ll leave it as that. I think Mr. Stanton would agree that those were untrue statements, and she said so.”
Stanton, seeming to recover his composure, attempted to resume his attacks on Lake, again claiming Lake to be “an adjudicated liar,” only to be cut off by Chairman Issa.
Chairman Issa then reclaimed time for himself and appeared to admonish Stanton and the other Democrat members for their attacks against Lake saying, “I’ll be brief in saying if everyone on the dais had the accusations of their opponents or even quite frankly sometimes the legal battles, all of us would have a bad day here. That is part of politics. But we’re not here to discuss politics today. We’re here to discuss the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars and a question of whether or not it was best spent on behalf of the American people.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
