The Trump Administration official running the Voice of America’s original agency defended his efforts to close it at a hearing on Capital Hill on Wednesday, at one point – without proof – that the Chinese Communist Party has more impact than American values ​​on news coverage of Fedarly Fund Network in the Chinese Communist Party.

“We hope we can stop Russian, Chinese, Iranian promotion, which is prevalent on our airwaves in VOA,” the US agency told the members of the House Committee, “the US agency told the Global Media’s Senior Advisor, the US agency for Kari Lake, and we are going to work to do so.” “Some people say that this is the voice of the anti -America.”

Ask about foreign journalists working for Voice of America and other American-funded networks Currently imprisoned by ruling rule – Lake suggested that there was a problem for the network, not the federal government.

“The safety and safety of American journalists is important … and I don’t think they have enough to protect them,” the lake said. “The question is: Why are we not hiring more Americans?”

Massachusetts Democrat Bill Ketting shot back, “is like blaming the group advocating these people.” “What they are doing? I will tell you what they are doing – they have just asked you to meet you to discuss this issue!”

Network heads have said that they are unable to meet the lake to hear their concerns. Lake, his federal parents for President Trump, oversee the American agency for global media, and have served as a vocal lawyer for their positions on a series of broad issues.

Foreign journalists are generally hired as they know languages ​​and cultures other than other languages ​​and skills in the form of skills, which are in accordance with the public accounts of the previous Voice of America officials, who have served under the presidents of both sides. For global media, the American agency should first try to appoint American journalists with such knowledge, but it often proves difficult to do so, they say.

Michael Abramovitz, currently as a director of the Voice of America, on indefinite leave, called his claims of Chinese influence “Ludicus” and baseless. He said that Chinese officials hated Voice of America and have no effect on the network.

“VOA has reported on big and serious – in many languages ​​- [Chinese government’s] Both activities of China and around the world, “Abramovitz said in a statement shared with NPR.” The Congress should ask Ms. Lake to provide evidence for the mysterious allegations made in the hearing. “Abramovitz is currently among the agency employees. Sue Lake and Agency,

Many people in the establishment of foreign policy and journalism voices the importance of America, not only for the broadcasting of countries that were ruled by the Nazis or part of the Soviet Union. At the present moment, the lake has alternately demanded to eliminate it or snatch it for editorial freedom contained in law. He left almost the entire voice of America workforce in this spring, firing hundreds of contractors. On Friday, that Ending notice sent Up to 85% of permanent employees.

Lake also demanded the cancellation of Congress’s compulsory grant for funded networks of other unions, including non -profit radio -free Europe/radio liberty and radio -free Asia. Following adverse decisions in the courts, she has agreed to follow the promised funds since then, but they have been particularly slow in arrival.

The lake has recalled the conflict on the matter and finds itself twice at the center of the ground this week: with the Congress hearing on the US agency for global media on Wednesday, and in a court hearing on its leadership.

Doubt of foreign workers

The twin proceedings represent the polar extreme of the Voice of America of the official Washington. At Wednesday’s house hearing, Lake widely accused the US agency for the security of the Global Media and the Voice of America, so that they were infiltrated by foreign spies.

Trump’s colleague, Florida’s Republican Rape Brian Mastu, arranged a systematic hearing from claims that unfair veting gave security violations in the recruitment of foreign journalists to report to the network funded by the agency.

Lake claimed that foreigners had been misusing a visa system to allow journalists from abroad to work in the news services of Voice of America for many years. He also slammed the firewall contained in the US law that protects the news room from direct editorial impact or pressure by federal MPs.

Employees of the Voice of America – some of those who are currently sueing him – denied some of his claims before the hearing begins and continued to do so during it. For example, security concerns were identified under President Barack Obama and during Trump’s first term; Treatment was taken under the President Joe Biden.

Lake’s arguments resonated Trump’s pick up five years ago as an American agency for the global media chief, Michael Pack, who cited equal security concerns. Pack tried to fire the same special J -1 visa holders in 2020, but later the internal documents released showed that they were operated by the US’s first approach rather than any foreign infiltration.

“USAGM should prioritize employment for American citizens,” Pack Chief of Staff Was written at that time“When employers trade American jobs for temporary foreign labor, it reduces opportunities for American workers.”

Report of a Inspector General Six agency officials left Suspended by pack in 2020 on related allegations of security laps.

At the hearing, MPs divided with a lot of traditional party lines: No Republican criticized Trump’s executive order, called to the agency and network, which should only be boiled for specific operations that the Congress had clearly specified, such as Persian language service. Many GOP MPs also confirmed the claims of lake waste and liberal bias.

Nevertheless, many Democrats looked open to reconsider whether the American agency for global media was the best federal parents for the network; The lake has advocated that it be abolished and any living services should be kept under the Department of External Affairs. And the Democrats invited the lake to consult the Congress further with which technologies would be the best for distributing services in the era of Livestreaming.

However, no Democrats signed their calls to replace hundreds of networks with the dependence on Elon Musk’s social media platform X or Podcast, as Lake suggested by Lake.

Several Republicans of the committee joined Democrats in highlighting the importance of Voice of America in China, Iran, Myanmar, Armenia and other places. And the Democrats first prepared the lake downwards to take an absolute approach to developing the network without careful study. Lake supported Trump’s push to end the agency in the next financial year budget.

Also on Wednesday, Senate appropriations held a Hearing about the broad claws Money allocated by Congress for foreign aid and public broadcasting. Former Senate majority leader Micha McConel, who is still senior Republican Senator of Kentki, confirmed the type of American “soft power” that was established to promote the network, although he did not refer to him as the name. Soft power, he said, was much less expensive than going into war.

Indeed, after Israeli and American bombing on Iran, Lake recalled some employees of Persian and Dari-Bhasha Network of Voice of America to work, although without canceling the termination notice. Employees in two Voice of America say that Iranian relatives of some Persian-language journalists have been threatened by the authorities. The NPR agreed to grant him an oblivion given the fear of vengeance.

Judge sued the lake tricks

On Monday, US Senior District Judge Royce C. Lambartha ordered the federal lawyers to the agency and the lake by Friday to convince how it was following their order to keep the voice of America alive.

“If there was no sound, what would be the purpose of Voice of America?” Lambartha asked, According to Associated PressThe big case is caught in appellate courts, where lake and government Won a refrive With her order that she freeze her tasks to eliminate services.

Lake said that she was paying the non -profit network on time – a claim they dispute. The Middle East Broadcasting Network has all been closed; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia are engaged in large -scale furls because they want to survive.

While the Voice of America officials accept some misconceptions over time, as in all news outlets, it historically demands to promote American democratic values ​​by offering coverage of pluralistic political debate within America, which has been criticized by the policy of the US government with official statements.

In a series of posts, former Voice of America acting director Alex Biberz wrote The statement of that lake reflects “a broad, ideological -operated effort to eliminate America’s voice based on the broad, unrelated claims.”

“This decision is not just an important institution,” also 43 years of service, Bibiberaj, before its retirement, also. wrote“It is deeply harmful to our national interests, reduces the objectives of the major foreign policy, weakens our credibility abroad, and the mission is a threat that the VOA has carried forward for decades: to report the truth, tell the world’s compelling story to the world, and promote its democratic values.”