Amo Unloads On Kari Lake: 'Why Are You Helping Authoritarian Governments Lie To Their People?'

Forbes Breaking News

At today's House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI) confronted Voice of America Director Kari Lake.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Lake, for being here.

00:03Since its founding to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II,

00:08Voice of America has been a beacon of free information in repressive countries.

00:12Voice of America's parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, or USAGM,

00:16has provided access to the free press and information in over 50 languages around the world

00:22through radio, television, and Internet programs.

00:25These programs, as you know, are often the only reliable news sources free from malign foreign government influence.

00:34The programs promote free thought, democratic values, and American credibility

00:38while countering authoritarian propaganda and disinformation.

00:42However, under your leadership, Ms. Lake, USAGM has been shattered.

00:47At the direction of President Trump, you cut programs slash funding

00:50and tried to counter, tried to shutter our global news network.

00:56Now, journalists are in increased danger, and reliable news is no longer accessible for millions around the world.

01:03The editor of the Russian state media network, Russia Today, celebrated your work to close Radio Free Europe,

01:11another USAGM subsidiary, saying, quote,

01:13We couldn't shut them down, unfortunately, but America did it so itself.

01:20If our adversaries are chairing this decision, why make it in the first place?

01:24Why, after decades of successful work and experts celebrating the effectiveness of these programs, would you end them?

01:32Why would you side with our adversaries who spread disinformation by removing respected programs that counter their propaganda?

01:39Maybe, maybe it's just your track record and history of attacking the media.

01:44You know, during your first failed run for public office for governor of Arizona,

01:48you called reporters the right hand of the devil.

01:52Maybe it's because you have a history of sharing disinformation yourself.

01:56You refuse to admit, still, who won the 2020 presidential election, falsely claiming it was a rigged election.

02:02You called the January 6th insurrection here at the Capitol a staged riot.

02:07You refuse to admit you lost, both in 2022 in the gubernatorial race and in 2024 for the U.S. Senate.

02:16The disinformation you spread during your failed campaigns were paper cuts, however,

02:21compared to the gaping wounds that will take root around the world because of your destruction of USAGM.

02:27Our adversaries are already filling the massive information hole left by USAGM.

02:32The 60 shortwave radio stations Radio Free Asia used to distribute its broadcasts have been silenced since you shut them down in March.

02:43And at the same time, China has added 80 new state media frequencies to increase the spread of their propaganda.

02:50So instead of listening to free press and trusted news from Radio Free Asia,

02:54nearly 60 million people are forced to turn to the Chinese Communist Party.

02:59The spread of CCP disinformation is alarming.

03:03In Xinjiang, where Radio Free Asia brought global attention to the Uyghur genocide.

03:09As the CCP worked overtime to hide this genocide by imprisoning Uyghur journalists, spreading propaganda and controlling news,

03:16Radio Free Asia fought back to share the true story.

03:20The CCP tried to shut down Radio Free Asia's operations.

03:25They jammed signals and arrested and intimidated journalists and their families.

03:29It did not work.

03:30Thanks to Radio Free Asia, the world knows the truth.

03:33It was spreading in China, too, because they translated stories into different dialects.

03:38Or at least it was, until you took over USAGM and aided the CCP by stopping their work.

03:46That's your legacy.

03:48You told the media that you would be their worst, quote, freaking nightmare.

03:54You do seem to be a bit of a nightmare.

03:56A nightmare to the free press.

03:58A nightmare to the truth in general.

04:01But not our adversaries.

04:02They seem very comfortable.

04:04So I've got a simple question for you, Miss Lake.

04:08Why are you helping authoritarian governments lie to their people?

04:12I can see why maybe China would be upset, because they lost that VOA is slimming down, because

04:19they lost their ability to push their propaganda through the VOA, which they were doing.

04:24I don't know if you were here earlier, but the CCP...

04:27I've been watching you.

04:27Don't worry.

04:28The CCP has a lot of control over what kind of content VOA does.

04:32You know who doesn't have control?

04:34People running the agency.

04:36The VOA could do a hit piece on you.

04:39They could lie about you.

04:40They could put the most heinous story out about you.

04:43And guess what, Representative Ammo?

04:45You couldn't pick up the phone call and say, please don't do that.

04:49It's not true.

04:50They would sue you for a firewall violation.

04:54So we've got to get a handle about what message we're putting out.

04:58And sadly, it hasn't been rainbows and lollipops, okay?

05:01We've been putting out a lot of anti-America propaganda, Russian propaganda...

05:05My time has expired.

05:07Okay, great.

05:09I yield back.

05:10The gentleman's time has expired.

05:11And I would remind my colleagues as well, it could be any one of them that was targeted

05:16by a U.S. agency of global media and by individuals inside of the headquarters on either side of the aisle.

05:22I look forward to hearing the results of that investigation.

05:25The chair now recognizes Representative McKenzie.

05:27Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

05:29And thank you, Ms. Lake, for joining us today.

05:32I think it is imperative that we recognize the challenge that VOA faces in terms of the infiltration

05:39that we've been talking about during this hearing of the anti-American information that has been put out.

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