WASHINGTON — president-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday he is picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who unsuccessfully ran for governor of Arizona and a seat in the Senate to lead the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world.
Lake, an immigration hardliner, was a television news anchor in Phoenix for nearly three decades until she left in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including sharing misinformation about COVID-19 during the pandemic. A short time later she launched her political career and quickly built a career loyal following and national profile as she sparred with reporters and echoed Trump in her sharp criticism of what she called “fake news.”
She endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were victims of election fraud. She never acknowledged it her defeat in the 2022 gubernatorial race and lost her Senate race last month by an even larger margin. Trump considered her his vice presidential running mate before deciding on JD Vance.
Trump has been a fierce critic of Voice of America in the past, saying in 2020 that “the things they are saying are disgusting to our country.”
The broadcaster faced additional criticism during Trump’s first term for its coverage of the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, with a release from the White House accusing it of using taxpayers’ money ‘to speak for authoritarian regimes’ as it related to the lifting of the lockdown in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.
VOA was founded during World War II and congressional statutes require it to present independent news and information to an international audience. It responded to Trump’s criticism by defending his reporting.
Upon taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden’s administration fell quickly removed a number of high-ranking officials aligned with VOA’s Trump and associated positions.
Also Wednesday, Trump announced Leandro Rizzuto as his choice to become U.S. ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States, saying he wanted Florida personal injury lawyer Dan Newlin to become his administration’s ambassador to Colombia.
He also chose Peter Lamelas, a physician and founder of one of Florida’s largest emergency care companies, as U.S. ambassador to Argentina. Lamelas is also a major donor to the past campaigns of Trump and other top Republicans.
___
Cooper reported from Phoenix.