by Matthew Holloway | Jun 28, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump’s Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Kari Lake, presented devastating testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Committee. Lake highlighted a multitude of institutional flaws in the USAGM which she described as being “largely incompetent, corrupt, biased, and a threat to America’s national security and standing in the world.”
Lake’s opening statement was a direct, abrupt, and merciless account of what she called “the downfall of this agency.”
She told the Committee, “The USAGM has a critical mission: to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. Yet for years, this agency has failed to live up to that mission. Instead of promoting American values, it has too often strayed into dysfunction, mismanagement, and even actions that undermine the very principles it claims to uphold.”
Lake then testified before both Republicans and Democrats, with the latter choosing to launch various ad hominem attacks against the well-known Arizona Republican, that the agency she was tasked with advising and its Voice of America (VOA) division are “rotten to the core.”
“This place is rotten. It’s rotten to the core,” Lake told the committee. “President Trump has asked me to go in and help clean it up, and he’s also issued an executive order to reduce this agency down to its mandate, to what is mandated, statutorily required. That’s exactly what I’m doing. I don’t care if they attack me.”
The Senior Advisor identified several egregious examples of severe dysfunction and potentially deliberate malfeasance, stating that several individuals working as journalists and technicians, many of them foreign nationals, were granted high-level (Tier 3 and Tier 5) access to secure government facilities and information technology (IT) systems, via inadequate and/or entirely fictional suitability determinations.
Lake reported to the committee that extensive corrective action was taken by Trump administration officials while they were in charge at USAGM from June 2020 and January 2021. But their work was an exercise in futility thanks to the Biden administration.
She explained, “Over the decade from 2010 to 2020, Office of Personnel Management and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence repeatedly flagged severe security failures, but USAGM leadership ignored them. They continued to grant journalists, and technicians many from foreign nations, high level security access based on falsified documents and incomplete background checks, phony names, phony social security numbers, even after corrective actions were taken in the final months of the Trump administration.” She added with audible frustration, “These safeguards were reversed by the incoming Biden administration.”
Rep. Abe Hamadeh’s office noted, “Under the Biden administration, USAGM relapsed into past practices, including, but not limited to: records, including SSNs, being falsified or replaced with notional placeholders; fingerprints and fingerprint forms not being submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for basic background investigations; and incomplete or falsified SF-86s and other suitability determination documents used under delegated OPM authority to grant access to Tier 3 and Tier 5 level national security sensitive positions.”
Questioned by Hamadeh, Lake expanded on the significant influence the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) holds over the agency, telling the Congressman that the Chinese government “have more say—this is sad—over editorially what VOA puts out than someone like me, who’s been charged with helping to oversee this agency, because of an editorial firewall.”
She continued, “Key lead management and leadership at U.S. Agency for Global Media cannot have focus in or tell the folks what they should be covering at Voice of America. Unfortunately, the CCP can, and I read this a little bit earlier, but I don’t know if I should read it again, but they—they literally were attending meetings at the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. And this is a report that I find rather shocking, and I mentioned it: starting in the first decade of 2000, the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., and the leadership of VOA’s Mandarin Service began an annual meeting to allow embassy officials to voice their opinions about VOA’s content.
“They even convinced the former leadership during Biden’s administration to cut short an interview—they wanted the whole thing canceled. They convinced VOA leadership to cut short an interview with a whistleblower who was critical of the CCP, and this just continues.
“This is an article that came out, I believe it was in March. VOA senior executives frequently traveled to China, attending state-sponsored events and meeting with Chinese embassy officials. These meetings weren’t casual diplomatic exchanges; they involved soliciting feedback on VOA’s programming. Congressman Hamadeh, if VOA decided to run a hit piece on you, and it was full of lies, and they called you and told you they were going to run that, and you wanted to say, ‘Hey, let’s clear this up because that’s not true, this isn’t true, and I suggest you don’t run the story,’ they could sue you for a firewall violation. But yet a CCP official can tell them how to run the news.”
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 | May 18, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Under Senior Advisor of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Kari Lake, the agency is terminating over 500 contractor roles by June 30th and is continuing efforts to sell its million-square-foot facility in Washington, D.C., despite an ongoing legal challenge.
Lake said in a statement posted to X, “In accordance with President Trump’s executive order dated March 14, we are in the process of rightsizing the agency and reducing the federal bureaucracy to meet administration priorities. We will continue to scale back the bloat at USAGM and make an archaic dinosaur into something worthy of being funded by hardworking Americans.”
She added, “Buckle up. There’s more to come.”
As reported by The Washington Post, the move is opposed by Biden-appointee Voice of America (VOA) Director Michael Abramowitz who told the outlet he is “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.”
According to Lake, a total of 584 employees have been terminated across the board at USAGM including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Without specifically stating the breakdown by department, she noted that the majority were from VOA. Many of the terminations will affect different language services under the VOA aegis, and if upheld, could result in the termination of dozens of J-1 visas for foreign-born journalists who would face 30-day deadlines to leave the United States.
Steve Herman, a VOA national correspondent-turned-spokesman for the lawsuits against USAGM, told the outlet, “Among those affected (by the terminations) are J-1 visa holders who will be forced to leave the country in 30 days. Several of these journalists come from countries where they could be arrested or worse because of their objective reporting for VOA.”
As part of a raft of cost-saving measures, Lake announced in early May that One America News Network will provide news-feed services to the network of outlets under the USAGM including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Radio Martí, and Voice of America.
Lake explained at the time, “This idea came about after OCB suggested we explore OAN as a newsfeed option for the Miami-based, U.S. Government-funded news operation broadcasting to Cuba. At their suggestion, I reached out to OAN, and they offered to provide their newsfeed and video service free-of-charge. This is an enormous benefit to the American taxpayer, who is the sole-source of funding for USAGM’s news outlets, which broadcast only to international audiences.”
Lake clarified her USAGM role at the time saying, “In my current role as Senior Advisor to USAGM, I don’t have editorial control over the content of VOA and OCB programming, but I can ensure our outlets have reliable and credible options as they work to craft their reporting and news programs. And every day I look for ways to save American taxpayers money. Bringing in OAN as a video/news source does both. OAN is one of the few family-owned American media networks left in the United States. We are grateful for their generosity.” As previously reported by AZ Free News, Lake announced the cancellation of “obscene over-spending including a nearly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar lease for a Pennsylvania Avenue high-rise that has no broadcasting facilities to meet the needs of the agency and included a $9 million commission to a private real estate agent with connections.”
The sale of the existing headquarters for VOA, in use since 1954, was to take place shortly after the agency moved into the newly leased building by order of former President Biden. However, in addition to canceling that lease, Lake has also begun efforts to sell VOA’s existing studio space, listing the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building as “identified for accelerated disposition,” with the U.S. General Services Administration.
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 | Apr 17, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Kari Lake will reportedly be detailed to the U.S. Department of State under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to unconfirmed reports from anonymous sources who spoke to The Washington Post. The story has since been amplified by other establishment media outlets absent any official release from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the State Dept., or the White House. Lake has been serving as Senior Advisor for the USAGM, parent agency of Voice of America.
Lake, who recently joined the USAGM, had been tasked with helping “USAGM implement the policies and strategies needed to streamline the agency, its networks, and its grantees,” according to an email from acting USAGM Chief Executive Roman Napoli. If the anonymously sourced reports put forward are true, they suggest that, following a recommendation from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and White House Special Government Employee Elon Musk, the Trump administration could be preparing to shutter the USAGM and Voice of America (VOA) entirely and are detailing Lake to the State Department to continue her work there.
As The Washington Post reported, “Lake’s move is intended to help her coordinate closely with USAGM and the State Department to scale back the agency and its affiliated outlets to their statutory minimum, a third person familiar with her movements said:
‘She will be detailed over to State to accomplish this mission.'”
Lake told The Washington Post in a statement, “I remain committed to effectuating President Trump’s mission to modernize and reform the way we tell America’s story around the world while protecting the interest of the American taxpayer,” neither explicitly confirming nor denying her potential reassignment.
She added, “In order to do that effectively, we look forward to working with interagency counterparts including the Department of State under the strong leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”
Lake speaking in plural form as “we” could suggest that rather than merely herself, the remaining staff of USAGM and VOA may be folded into the Department of State entirely, a similar fate to what befell another formerly independent agency targeted by DOGE: the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to the Post, Lake presented the upcoming changes as a continuation of her current role in the Trump administration saying, “I am thrilled to be working on behalf of President Trump and this administration. He put me in this role because I’m a fighter. And I’m disgusted how Washington DC and this agency, in particular, has been screwing over hardworking Americans.”
As recently as March 15th, the USAGM announced that Lake was active in her role and in compliance with an Executive Order from President Trump (Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy), which had initiated a series of measures to “eliminate the non-statutory components and functions to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
Among other actions, this included the abrupt cancellation of “obscene over-spending including a nearly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar lease for a Pennsylvania Avenue high-rise that has no broadcasting facilities to meet the needs of the agency and included a $9 million commission to a private real estate agent with connections.”
Lake famously made the determination at that time that “This agency is not salvageable.” She added, “From top-to-bottom this agency is a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer—a national security risk for this nation—and irretrievably broken. While there are bright spots within the agency with personnel who are talented and dedicated public servants, this is the exception rather than the rule.”
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 | Dec 14, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that he has chosen Arizona’s Kari Lake to lead Voice of America (VOA) as its Director. Lake will replace Biden appointee Michael Abramowitz, formerly of the Washington Post. A career broadcaster since 1991, Lake was tapped by Trump citing her decades as a prominent news anchor.
Reporting from the Associated Press (AP) described Lake as “Telegenic, engaging and adept at communicating,” and emphasized her policy position as “an immigration hard-liner.”
In a statement, Trump wrote: “I am pleased to announce that Kari Lake will serve as our next Director of the Voice of America. She will be appointed by, and work closely with, our next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who I will announce soon, to ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media. Kari was a beloved News Anchor in Arizona, which supported me by record margins, for over 20 years. Congratulations Kari!”
As noted by Fox News, Voice of America is a major international broadcast network which provides news and cultural programming in forty languages via internet, mobile, social media, radio, and television as part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The agency also runs Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Middle East Broadcasting Networks which broadcast pro-American media throughout the world. The head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who Trump has yet to appoint, leads the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, which will need to first remove the recently appointed Abramowitz and appoint Lake. The bipartisan board consists of six members who serve alongside the sitting Secretary of State. They are appointed by the President from four lists submitted to him by the Chairs and ranking members of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Responding to Trump’s announcement, Lake posted to X, “I am honored that President Trump has asked me to lead the Voice of America. @VOANews is a vital international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly with people across the globe and promoting democracy and truth. With an audience of 326 million people, Voice of America delivers information in 48 languages. Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America’s achievements worldwide. Thank you for putting your trust in me, President Trump. I look forward to leading the Voice of America, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Trump’s past relationship with VOA has been somewhat fraught as reported by the AP, with the President criticizing the outlet heavily in 2020 saying that the “things they say are disgusting toward our country.” He further accused VOA of using American tax dollars “to speak for authoritarian regimes,” after it covered the relaxation of COVID lockdowns in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
When the Biden administration took power in 2021, Trump’s appointments to the VOA were summarily removed and replaced with personnel friendly to the Democrat-led government.
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.
