Federal judge rules Trump administration’s actions to dismantle Voice of America are illegal
President Ronald Reagan shares information with the Soviet Union by Voice of America in 1985. VOA has been dark much of the past year after the U.S. Agency for Global Media cut its funding, but a federal judge recently ordered the restoration of the venerable news organization that previously had reached more than 360 million people worldwide. Photo by The Associated Press
The Associated Press
A federal judge ruled Saturday that Kari Lake, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, did not have legal authority to take the actions she’s done to largely dismantle the Voice of America. The decision’s effect on VOA operations was not immediately clear.
Lake called the decision by U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth “bogus” and said it will be appealed.
Voice of America, which has transmitted news coverage to countries around the world since its formation during World War II, is operating with a skeleton staff in only a handful of languages after Lake terminated contracts and laid off most of its employees.
Lake had been chosen by Trump to effectively lead the agency that oversees Voice of America and other services like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. But she has not received Senate confirmation for her role, and Lamberth said she did not have authority to act in that capacity due to laws that guard against unqualified government appointments.
ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM THE INTEGRITY PROJECT
