Kari Lake promotes Trump on Voice of America. Does that break the law? : NPR

Kari Lake, who oversees the parent agency of the Voice of America, has hit legal and political roadblocks in her drive to dismantle the government-funded broadcaster.

She has instead accelerated her use of the U.S. government-owned network to promote President Trump and his views — in possible violation of federal law and policies.

To mark the completion of Trump’s first year in office last week, Lake was interviewed on Voice of America’s Persian-language service through an interpreter. During the five-minute segment, she praised Trump repeatedly.

Lake lauded Trump’s actions toward Iran, called him “the president of peace” and reiterated Trump’s tenuous claims he had ended eight wars and conflicts.

Lake said Trump was “putting out fires” throughout the world with a policy of “peace through strength.” She also castigated judges who ruled against Trump and the administration, citing an “out-of-control judiciary,” and she trashed former President Joe Biden’s record, which she termed “horrific.” NPR reviewed her original remarks in English and the interpretation offered to viewers in Iran, the service’s target audience.

“VOA is telling the story of the brave Iranian people and their fight for freedom,” Lake says in a written comment to NPR. “That story cannot be told without sharing statements from President Trump or the support the Iranian people have for him.”

The segment, part of a glowing one-hour special on Trump’s first year back in the White House, was also broadcast on Voice of America’s Chinese language service, in which her remarks could be heard in English.

Lake is a familiar pro-Trump guest on such conservative news outlets as Fox, Newsmax and OANN, where she shares baseless claims of election fraud and comments on topics like immigration and Venezuela. None of them have any direct link to her federal job.

Given Lake’s role overseeing the parent agency of Voice of America, her appearance last week was a sharp departure for the network.

In separate interviews, 11 current and former Voice of America journalists and officials at its federal parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said they could not recall anything like it. Most spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing professional retribution, given ongoing links to the agency, its broadcasters or the federal government.

By law, the chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media is required to respect what is often called a firewall, designed to shield editorial staffers and their news decisions from politics. Since late July, Lake has intermittently portrayed herself as the agency chief, despite currently signing her official emails as deputy CEO. Critics argue that her recent appearance on Voice of America violates the established firewall. David Kligerman, former general counsel of the U.S. Agency for Global Media under both Trump and Biden, emphasizes the importance of adhering to journalistic ethics to prevent such situations. The concern is that having the agency’s head on the air in a partisan role contradicts the principles of independence. Rick Stengel, former top editor of Time magazine, expresses that Lake’s statements sounded more like a press secretary for the president rather than the leader of an independent news service. Lake, a former local TV news anchor and unsuccessful MAGA candidate in Arizona, was appointed by Trump to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, despite legal challenges to her authority. Despite Trump’s attempts to appoint her as the director of Voice of America, he lacked the legal authority to do so, leading to Lake being named as a senior advisor instead. Lake proceeded to lay off a significant portion of the workforce following Trump’s executive order, leading to legal battles over their reinstatement. The White House named Lake as deputy CEO last July, with Lake claiming to have taken on the role of acting CEO without formal announcement or confirmation from the U.S. Senate. Judge Royce C. Lamberth, overseeing cases challenging Lake’s actions, has raised doubts about her honesty and the legality of the administration’s defenses. He has ordered her to rehire employees to meet Congress’s funding expectations for the agency. Lake has not yet made a decision on the legality of Lake’s authority. In bringing back some VOA journalists, Lake has prioritized the Persian-language service, particularly in light of the current unrest and crackdown in Iran. The Persian-language service is now under the leadership of Ali Javanmardi, a former VOA journalist who left the network in 2019. Javanmardi has openly praised Trump and has instructed editors and producers not to book guests critical of the president. Additionally, the Persian-language service canceled an appearance by a former Trump foreign policy adviser, Elliot Abrams, due to his previous criticism of Trump. Despite these actions, a journalist for Voice of America Persian has indicated that management does not allow any critique of the president. During a recent special program, the Voice of America Persian host, Payam Yazdian, offered high praise for Trump’s return to the White House, describing it as the beginning of a period of national success and global respectability.

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