Trump taps immigration hard-liner Kari Lake as head of Voice of America

WASHINGTON —  President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and U.S. Senate to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides news reporting around the world.

Lake, an immigration hard-liner, was a television news anchor in Phoenix for nearly three decades until she left in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including sharing COVID-19 misinformation during the height of the pandemic.

Lake launched her political career a short time later, and sparred with journalists.

Trump said Lake, a fellow election denier, would “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.”

The president-elect has in the past been a fierce critic of Voice of America, saying in 2020 that “things they say are disgusting toward our country.”

Trump also criticized the broadcaster in his first term for its coverage of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing it of using taxpayer money “to speak for authoritarian regimes.” That was after Voice of America covered the lifting of lockdowns in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged.

Voice of America was founded during World War II, and its congressional charter requires it to present independent news and information to international audiences. It responded to Trump’s criticism by defending its coverage.

Upon taking office in January 2021, the Biden administration swiftly removed a number of senior officials aligned with Trump from Voice of America and positions affiliated with it.

Lake endeared herself to Trump through her unwavering commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were the victims of election fraud. She has never acknowledged losing the gubernatorial race and has called herself the “lawful governor.”

Lake continued her unsuccessful fight in court to overturn her loss even after beginning her run for Senate. She lost last month — to Democrat Ruben Gallego — by a larger margin than she had two years earlier, after trying to moderate her tone but struggling to keep a consistent message on thorny topics, including election fraud and abortion.

Trump nonetheless considered her for his vice presidential running mate before deciding on JD Vance.

Also Wednesday, Trump announced Leandro Rizzuto as his choice to be the U.S. ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States, and said he wanted Florida personal injury attorney Dan Newlin to be his administration’s ambassador to Colombia.

He also picked Peter Lamelas, a physician and the founder of one of Florida’s largest urgent-care companies, to be the U.S. ambassador to Argentina. Lamelas is a large donor to the campaigns of Trump and other top Republicans.

Weissert and Cooper write for the Associated Press and reported from Washington and Phoenix, respectively.