Kari Lake battles Democrats at VOA hearing: Five takeaways

The Hill

12 hours ago

Kari Lake, President Trump's top advisor to the U.S Agency for Global Media and a staunch critic of the mainstream press, testified Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about her vision for the Voice of America, which faces an uncertain future.
Lake has slashed VOA's staff by hundreds, blasted the 'bloated bureaucracy' that governed it under previous presidential administrations and promised to transform the English-language broadcaster into an outlet that promotes Trump's 'America First' messaging around the world.
Here are key takeaways from the Lake hearing.
Lake repeatedly attacked the Voice of America over its coverage of world events under previous presidential administrations and its 'unaccountable' workforce.
She accused the outlet of promoting pro-China Communist Party propaganda and blasted it over criticism of Trump in the run up to the 2024 presidential election.
'Lies are being told on VOA,' she told lawmakers as she opened her remarks. 'They could tell lies about you and you couldn't do anything to stop it.'
Lake argued greater editorial oversight of VOA is necessary and, on several occasions, bemoaned a 'firewall' that blocks her agency from intervening in its coverage.
She said VOA should operate like a modern corporate newsroom, where executives do more with less and have the power to direct coverage as they see fit.
'In a newsroom there's always some editorial control that management has to make sure what's going out in a newscast is accurate,' she said.
Democrats on the committee spent the hearing openly worrying she was on a mission to turn the broadcaster into an international mouthpiece for the president.
Lake faced intense questioning from Democrats about her efforts to trim down what she called the 'bloated' bureaucracy overseeing VOA.
Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) repeatedly pressed Lake to provide a record of any review she had done of 'waste, fraud and abuse' at the outlet before implementing mass layoffs at the company and terminating the lease for its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Lake at one point held up a photo of a seemingly empty office at VOA, claiming many of the journalists there were failing to 'show up for work,' and arguing she is working on a plan to streamline the outlet's efficiency and productivity.
'Sometimes a lean, mean, team makes it easier to get things done,' she said defending the president's executive order directing the agency to trim down to its 'statutory minimum' for operations.
Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.) admonished Lake over what he said was a lack of appreciation for the threats many VOA journalists have faced while reporting from war-torn countries or places where First Amendment protections don't exist.
'These are things that are necessary, why would you ever cut there?' he asked. 'People's lives are in danger trying to tell the truth.'
Lake on several occasions defended Trump's executive order directing the USAGM to be stripped down to its 'statutory minimum' in terms of staffing and spending.
Last week, she ordered the termination of some 600 employees at the agency, saying the cuts were necessary to set a 'clear example of responsible government, cutting waste, restoring accountability, and delivering on the promise to put American taxpayers first.'
On Wednesday, she and Republicans on the committee argued taxpayers should not be forced to underwrite reporting they view as not supportive enough of American ideals.
'What we're seeing here today is the far-left is upset because they'd rather stay in their little corrupt cocoon of power,' Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said about outrage expressed by Democrats. 'I want to thank you ma'am for what you're doing. You clearly have a record of going after political hacks and I salute you for that.'
'You chickened out. You refused to defend your lies in court! You are an adjudicated liar and a two-time political loser,' Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) yelled at Lake as he referenced her repeated claims of an unfair election in 2020.
'I was brave enough to fight our shotty elections,' Lake answered back as the two talked over one another.
A former Republican candidate for governor, Lake has repeatedly claimed the 2020 election was unfairly conducted and manipulated in favor of former President Biden.
After she lost her Arizona gubernatorial race, Lake refused to concede and said she would assemble a legal team for 'collecting evidence and data' pertaining to the electoral process.
She eventually dropped her contentions about the election and was picked by Trump to lead USAGM late last year.
A former TV news broadcaster, Lake made a name for herself around the time of the 2020 election defending Trump's fraud claims and praising his political allies around the world.
'You have yet to acknowledge Trump lost the 2020 election. It concerns me you are now tasked with ensuring the promotion of democracy around the world,' Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told Lake during Wednesday's hearing, calling out Lake's praise for Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, an ally of Trump who has come under international scrutiny.
Lake did not shy away from pushing back on some of the more pointed accusations she faced on Wednesday.
'Obviously with these questions, Democrats are proving they care a lot more about other countries,' she told chair Brian Mast (Fla.) 'And they are proving that with their votes.'
Lake argued Voice of America should be stripped down to its bare essential resources and folded into the State Department.
She suggested the purpose of the English-language broadcaster is to promote 'President Trump's message' to people around the world, particularly in areas controlled by American adversaries.
Lake said she has a mandate to ensure all necessary changes to VOA's staffing and budget are completed by the beginning of fiscal year 2026, or by October, and vowed to work swiftly to implement more changes at the outlet.
'This is a billion-dollar agency. We know for a fact money is being wasted and the content that is going out is not supportive of this country and the great people of this country have been forced to pay for it,' she told lawmakers on Wednesday. 'I don't take pleasure in people losing their jobs, but I'll tell you in the media landscape, newsrooms are getting smaller. We can't continue to operate at this level.'