A senior federal judge is ordering Trump adviser Kari Lake to testify under oath over her role in the decimation of Voice of America, giving her until September 15 to testify and submit documents related to her actions as head of the US Agency for Global Media.
US District Judge Royce Lamberth said Lake, who appeared in court on August 25, was “verging on contempt of court” for ignoring previous orders to disclose information around her sweeping cuts at USAGM that she claims were justified under a March executive order from President Trump.
The administration revealed that it intended to staff Voice of America only on an “as-needed” basis for major news events.
Those actions include suspending most employees, slashing Voice of America’s 49-language service down to four, and signing a content deal with the far-right slanted One America News Network. Judge Lamberth questioned how such moves complied with Congressional mandates for the Voice of America to remain politically impartial.
Meanwhile, Lake told NPR the court should have no authority in the case, and that Judge Lamberth is overstepping his authority.
Since March, more than 85% of the US Agency for Global Media’s workforce, approximately 1,400 employees, have been terminated under a presidential directive to “eliminate” the agency to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Though parts of Lamberth’s April injunction to keep the organization running at full power had been stayed on appeal, the core requirements to maintain the agency’s legal responsibilities remained in force.
