U.S. Voice employees sue Trump administration for effective shutdown in agency
Voice of America employees filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration and Lake Carrie on Thursday after Trump ordered the agency to be demolished earlier this month.
“In many parts of the world, key sources of objective news have disappeared and only state-sponsored news media can fill the gap,” VOA employees said in the lawsuit.
Trump signed an executive order in March that directed seven government offices, including US global media organizations, the parent company of Voice America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. After winning the election, Trump appointed Lake as special counsel to global media organizations in the United States.
“The second Trump administration has brought the electric saw to the entire agency in order to shut it down completely,” the lawsuit said.
Voice of America employees filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration and Lake Carrie on Thursday after Trump ordered the agency to be demolished earlier this month. (Photo by Jonathan Raa/Nurphoto via Getty Image)
Musk and the Barrier have another perfect goal: more taxpayer-funded anti-American media
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Lake tells employees to “check your email” for more information about their future employment in posts on social media.
The US global media and the Lake agency issued a press release on March 15, saying the agency was “irrescue”.
“From top to bottom, this institution is a huge decay and burden, to the U.S. taxpayers (a nation’s national security risk to the country), and irreversible damage. Although there are highlights within the institution with talented and dedicated civil servants, this is an exception, not a dominance,” the U.S. media press release said.
Donald Trump stood next to Kari Lake on stage at a campaign rally at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona on October 13, 2024. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Image)
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“What is happening to VOA journalists is not just the indifference of First Amendment speeches; it is the government's closure to journalism, a previous restriction that kills content before it is created,” the lawsuit reads.
The White House did not immediately return the request for comment.
“Sadly, Kari Lake lives in Maga Fantasy World, but the decision she made has had a practical impact on hundreds of journalists,” VOA employee attorney David Seide told NPR.
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VOA's White House Director Patsy Widakuswara and VOA's freelance editor Jessica Jerreat are the main plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
