Kari Lake moves to consolidate her power to dismantle Voice of America
Kari Lake, the Arizona Republican politician tasked with overseeing the Trump administration’s dismantling of Voice of America, has taken new steps to consolidate power at the agency.
On Tuesday, Lake had Victor Morales — the acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, VOA’s parent agency — locked out of his email and electronic systems, several people with knowledge of the decision told The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. And according to a new court filing, Lake has ordered VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, who has been on administrative leave since March and is a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against her, to accept a new position in Greenville, North Carolina — or be fired.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.
Democracy and politics | Signalgate | The CBS submission | Voiceless America
Related Knowledge Center: Voiceless America
More than 80 years after its creation during World War II, President Trump is attempting to shut down the Voice of America, but his executive order is facing a skeptical response from the courts.