WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he wants ally Kari Lake to become the next director of Voice of America, a federal network that is part of the US Agency for Global Media.
Trump said on Truth Social that Lake would be nominated by the next head of the US Global Media Agency, a choice he said he would announce “soon.”
Trump said Lake would “ensure that America’s values of freedom and liberty are broadcast FAIRLY and ACCURATELY around the world, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.”
VOA representatives did not immediately respond to questions about the processes for appointing and approving a new director, or what Trump’s announcement might mean for the current director, Michael Abramowitz.
Lake said on X that she was “honored” by Trump’s announcement.
“Under my leadership, VOA will excel in its mission of documenting America’s achievements around the world,” she said. “Thank you for putting your trust in me, President Trump. I’m excited to lead the Voice of America, and I can’t wait to get started.”
VOA’s mission is not to promote America’s achievements; rather, the website says it is “committed to providing comprehensive news coverage and telling the public the truth.”
The VOA also highlights a “firewall” that, according to its website, “prohibits interference by any U.S. government official with the objective, independent reporting of news, ensuring the ability of our journalists to develop content that adheres to the highest professional standards of journalism reflects, free from political interference.”
Lake spent more than two decades as a news anchor in Arizona at KSAZ, the Phoenix Fox affiliate. In the years since she retired from the news industry, she made unsuccessful bids for both the Senate and governor of Arizona.
During her campaign, Lake positioned herself as a staunch ally of Trump and a fierce critic of the industry to which she once belonged. She blasted journalists as “fake news” and said at the Republican National Convention that they “have worn out your welcome.” She tried to discredit reporters by arguing that journalists “have been lying about President Donald Trump for the past eight years,” relying on an unsubstantiated right-wing claim.
Lake has also embraced debunked election denialism about the 2020 election and made false claims that the 2022 governor’s race was stolen from her.
According to its website, VOA has a broad international reach, with a global weekly audience of approximately 354 million people and programming in 49 languages.
Trump previously faced criticism for his 2020 appointment of Michael Pack to head the US Agency for Global Media. Pack was accused of undermining the independence of the networks he oversaw.
Trump posted about Lake among a handful of other administration announcements on Truth Social. He also said Wednesday evening that he wants Leandro Rizzuto to be ambassador to the Organization of American States, Peter Lamelas to be ambassador to Argentina, Daniel J. Newlin to be ambassador to Colombia and Michael J. Rigas to be deputy secretary of state for management. and resources.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
