By WILL WEISSERT and JONATHAN J. COOPER
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday he is choosing Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a seat in the Senate to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news about the world.
Lake, an immigration hardliner, was a television news anchor in Phoenix for nearly three decades until leaving in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including sharing misinformation about COVID-19 during the pandemic.
Telegenic, engaging and adept at communicating, Lake launched her political career soon after, quickly building a loyal following and a national profile as she clashed with reporters and echoed Trump in her scathing criticism of what she called “fake news.”
In a statement, Trump said Lake would ultimately be nominated by the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media and would work closely with him for his new administration, “which I will announce soon.”
He said Lake “will ensure that American values of freedom and liberty are delivered to the world fairly and accurately, contrary to the lies propagated by the fake media.”
The president-elect has in the past been a fierce critic of Voice of America, notably declaring in 2020 that “the things they say are disgusting to our country.”
The channel drew further criticism during Trump’s first term for its coverage of the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, with a White House publication, the “1600 Daily,” an email digest of news and events, accusing him of using taxpayers’ money “to speak on behalf of an authoritarian regime”. diets. » This was after VOA covered the lifting of lockdown measures in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.
VOA was founded during World War II, and its congressional charter requires it to present independent news to international audiences. He responded to Trump’s criticism by defending his media coverage.
Upon taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden’s administration quickly removed a number of senior Trump-aligned officials from VOA and positions affiliated with it.
Lake endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the lie that she and Trump were victims of election fraud. She never admitted to losing the gubernatorial race and called herself a “legitimate governor” in her 2023 book, “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.”
Lake continued her unsuccessful fight in court to overturn it even after she began her campaign for Senate – which she lost by an even larger margin last month, after trying to moderate her tone but having difficulty struggling to keep a consistent message on thorny subjects, including electoral fraud and abortion.
Trump nevertheless considered her as his vice-presidential running mate before deciding on JD Vance.
Also Wednesday, Trump announced that Leandro Rizzuto would be his choice to be the U.S. ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States and said he wanted the Florida damages lawyer bodies, Dan Newlin, to be his administration’s ambassador to Colombia.
He also chose Peter Lamelas, a physician and founder of one of Florida’s largest urgent care companies, as U.S. ambassador to Argentina. Lamelas is also a major donor to the past campaigns of Trump and other prominent Republicans.
___
Cooper reported from Phoenix.
Originally published:
