3 weeks ago
Donald Trump has nominated Kari Lake, a longtime state and erstwhile TV anchor who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor, to service arsenic nan adjacent US ambassador to Jamaica.
If confirmed by nan Senate, it would extremity Lake’s tenure arsenic nan cardinal charismatic responsible for Voice of America (VOA), nan world media statement created successful 1942.
In 2024, nan US president appointed Lake to lead nan US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, pursuing her unsuccessful Senate and gubernatorial campaigns successful Arizona, and nether nan guidance of a presidential executive order she moved to occurrence hundreds of VOA employees, arsenic good arsenic to trim backing for different newsgroups.
But staffers challenged those actions, and successful March a national judge ruled that Lake had been unlawfully serving arsenic caput of USAGM because she had not been confirmed by nan Senate, and voided her actions astatine nan agency, including nan wide layoffs.
After nan White House announcement connected Monday, Lake thanked Trump successful a station connected societal media, and said: “Jamaica is simply a state I cognize very well, afloat of unthinkable people, and if confirmed by nan Senate, I look guardant to strengthening nan business betwixt our nations, advancing America’s interests abroad, and building connected nan heavy relationship shared by nan American and Jamaican people.”
“Honored to proceed serving successful this HISTORIC Administration!” she added.
In a 2nd statement, she said she had spoken pinch Trump and was “incredibly grateful for his support, encouragement, and TRUST.”
She besides defended her clip overseeing Voice of America, saying that she is “proud of nan activity we’ve accomplished astatine USAGM” including “bringing much-needed betterment to nan agency” and said that she would proceed to activity location during nan Senate confirmation process.
Lake spent much than 2 decades arsenic a tv anchor astatine a section Fox News connection successful Phoenix, earlier entering authorities and running for Arizona politician arsenic a Republican successful 2021. After losing nan gubernatorial title to Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, Lake refused to judge nan result, but a authorities judge rejected her claims.
She later ran unsuccessfully for nan US Senate successful Arizona successful 2024.
In an question and reply pinch nan New York Times, Kate Neeper, a USAGM head who was placed connected paid time off successful 2025 and joined litigation challenging nan dismantling of VOA, said she viewed Lake’s caller information arsenic a motion that VOA journalists and its support unit had prevailed against nan administration’s efforts.
“This is simply a concession to that victory,” Neeper said. “Kari Lake was not capable to dismantle nan agency for tons of reasons, truthful they’ve decided to person her do thing else.”
