"She wanted to be governor of Arizona. She wanted to be a senator from Arizona. She wanted to run Voice of America, to be MAGA's broadcaster to the world. Then she wanted to shut down Voice of America, after Donald Trump and Elon Musk turned against it. She wanted to play a big role in the MAGA movement, to live up to the phrase she's used to describe herself: "Trump in heels." But Kari Lake has achieved none of those things."
"During her tenure, Lake has ceded influence to Chinese and Russian state media all over the world, as their broadcasters have taken over slots from canceled U.S. programs. She has hampered the U.S. government's ability to inform foreign audiences in times of crisis. She blocked RFE/RL from using USAGM's transmission equipment, which meant that during mass street protests and an internet blackout in Iran recently, the broadcasters' Persian-language service, Radio Farda, had to rent from commercial contractors."
Kari Lake sought high-profile roles — governor, senator, and head of Voice of America — but accomplished none. During 11 months as de facto leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Lake inflicted profound damage on U.S. foreign broadcasters and America's ability to communicate with global audiences. USAGM funds Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and the Open Technology Fund. Lake ceded broadcast slots to Chinese and Russian state media, blocked RFE/RL from using transmission equipment, forcing Radio Farda to rent commercial capacity during protests and an Iranian internet blackout, and left VOA's Spanish service unavailable during the U.S. intervention in Venezuela while squandering taxpayer dollars and posting frequently on X about domestic politics.
Read at The Atlantic
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