'You Share The Same Opinion As A Chinese Communist': John Olszewski Rips Kari Lake To Her Face

Forbes Breaking News

During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. John Olszewski (D-MD) asked USAGM Kari Lake about Voice Of America.

Transcript

00:00Thank you for safeguarding it.

00:01Chair now recognizes Representative Volchewski.

00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to Chairman Ranking Member Meeks for convening this hearing.

00:09Thank you, Ms. Lake, for joining us today.

00:12I am a new member on this committee, but in just the past few months, I've seen how important in person

00:19the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other USAGM outlets are to Americans and to our allies.

00:27It's vital to diplomacy. It connects and informs people as we seek to promote our democracy and our freedom around the world.

00:36Indeed, VOA and USAGM outlets are American soft power weapons.

00:42And central to the mission of an international broadcasting agency is truth and is balance.

00:47What we share with the world should be rooted in fact so that America maintains its credibility on the world stage.

00:52I'm sharing these concerns because I recently know, through my travel and in some countries,

00:59that USAGM is the sole source of credible information.

01:05I was just in Taiwan where government officials and NGOs made it clear,

01:10Radio Free Asia is an indispensable tool against PRC misinformation and aggression.

01:16And to that end, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to enter two articles into the record.

01:19One from Politico, Moscow and Beijing rejoicing at looming death of Radio Free Europe, VOA.

01:27And another one from the Washington Post, Chinese propaganda surges as the USD funds Radio Free Asia.

01:33Without objection.

01:35Ms. Lake, I have just a few questions today.

01:37I hope the first one is pretty simple.

01:39Yes or no, do you believe in the mission of USAGM and its grantees are important?

01:45It's really like the yes or no.

01:46I think that's a pretty easy one.

01:48I believe in the mission.

01:50I wish that it were followed.

01:51Okay.

01:51And I appreciate that.

01:54But worry that, as my colleagues have shared, executing on that mission is very difficult

01:59with an administration that is gutting our only way in some parts of the world of sharing

02:06the most, in the most oppressive of media markets, information that needs to be shared.

02:11Media reports, for example, indicated that VOA broadcasts just 75 minutes of content to

02:19its audience in Iran over the past few days, knowing that we used to broadcast 24-7.

02:24And I know that you mentioned that there's not a huge audience, but it's come to my attention

02:29that VOA's Persian audience has actually doubled in the past four years.

02:32As of June 2023, in the middle of that growth, it was measured that the outlet was covering

02:38almost 16% of all adult Iranians.

02:42So I just would say, as we're facing a very unsettled world, I think having information

02:48is really important.

02:50And so I think that is perhaps why we're seeing, as in the articles I shared, that our adversaries

02:56are, in fact, celebrating this retreat, this retrenchment from our involvement.

03:03I'd like to read an article.

03:04You know, can I say something a little about that?

03:06I think the CCP might be self-

03:08I'll give you an opportunity, ma'am.

03:08I'm happy to give you an opportunity.

03:10Quote, the so-called beacon of freedom, VOA, has now been discarded by its own government

03:16like a dirty rag.

03:18This is from the Chinese Communist Party's owned Global Times paper.

03:24Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Mao Ning, seems to agree with your characterization

03:29of VOA as, quote, a lie factory that stirs up conflict, with a notorious track record in

03:36their China coverage.

03:37I guess my question to you, is it concerning, or should it be concerning to us as members

03:41of this committee, that you share the same opinion as a Chinese Communist government spokesperson?

03:47The Chinese government, if they are upset about having less coverage, it's because they

03:52were in control of a lot of our coverage.

03:54The CCP, and I think you came in late, actually-

03:58No, ma'am.

03:58I've been here the entire time.

04:00Oh, I'm sorry.

04:00I didn't notice.

04:01The CCP has more control over what we put out editorially than people who are management

04:10at the agency.

04:11Do you think that's okay?

04:12No, I think we should be putting out truthful information.

04:15And sometimes-

04:15And as you see here, the former leader-

04:16And we should go after that.

04:18And sometimes, but what I do-

04:19And the Bennett resigned for failing to stop Chinese propaganda.

04:23And you've already said that your goal, ultimately, is to move this agency and its independence,

04:28which is truly a core pillar of journalism.

04:31As someone who is in journalism, having that independence is absolutely important.

04:36There's no other way that we're going to be a credible source to the world if other governments

04:41and other members of countries see what we're doing.

04:44I mean, first of all, we're not communicating.

04:45But when we do, they have to know that the information is real, it's authentic, and it's

04:50actually advancing American interests.

04:52I very much look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee here so that we

04:55can make sure the information is truthful, it is factual, and that it advances American

05:00interests.

05:00You have my commitment to work with you on that.

05:02Right.

05:02But we have to make sure that we're actually promoting those interests through supporting

05:06this work.

05:06Hopefully, we can root out the Russian, Chinese, Iranian propaganda that has been prevalent on

05:12our airwaves at VOA, and we're going to work to do that.

05:17Chair, now recognize-

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