A federal judge sharply criticized senior adviser Kari Lake and the Trump administration this week for what he described as “flip-flopping” and “misleading” statements regarding the operational status of Voice of America (VOA) following sweeping cuts to U.S. government-funded global media.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, issued a scathing order Wednesday accusing the administration of evading court directives and ignoring legal mandates to maintain VOA operations.
“The defendants have consistently refused to give the Court the full story regarding personnel actions,” Lamberth wrote in his ruling. He added that the administration’s responses had been “cagey” and riddled with “cryptic and even misleading […] crumbs of data.”
The dispute stems from lawsuits filed earlier this year by former VOA journalists and leaders, including Patsy Widakuswara, the network’s former White House bureau chief, and former director Michael Abramowitz. Both allege that the Trump administration is unlawfully dismantling the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, in violation of congressional mandates requiring continuous global broadcasting.
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order labeling VOA “the voice of radical America,” prompting an immediate backlash and legal action. Plaintiffs countered that the real radicalism was in attempting to “dismantl[e] by decree an agency created and mandated by Congress.”
Lamberth previously granted a preliminary injunction in April ordering the administration to restore VOA programming and comply with federal law. On Wednesday, he found that the administration had failed to meet those obligations and issued a show cause order requiring written answers by Aug. 13.
“This sort of flip-flopping — in sworn declarations — raises severe concern,” Lamberth wrote, citing conflicting sworn statements from Lake and fellow senior adviser Frank Wuco.
Wuco, a former conservative radio host, claimed in June that shortwave radio broadcasts from the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station in Greenville, North Carolina, had resumed. But Lake’s July court filing made no reference to any resumed broadcasts, instead describing the facility as a “hub for future VOA activities.”
The judge also cited Lake’s public statements that she was “working to eliminate the agency,” which he said was “deeply troubling” and potentially inconsistent with the administration’s claims of compliance inside the courtroom.
“The Court has provided the defendants with every opportunity to demonstrate that they are complying with the preliminary injunction in good faith,” Lamberth wrote. “Judicial intervention is needed.”
The show cause order demands clarity on several points, including the extent to which VOA programming has resumed, how the administration’s actions align with congressional funding, and what staffing levels currently look like.
USAGM has not commented on the ruling. Lake, a former TV anchor and Republican political candidate, was appointed as a senior adviser to the agency’s acting CEO earlier this year.
The lawsuits against Lake and other USAGM officials underscore growing concerns about political interference in U.S.-funded media, which is traditionally protected from partisan influence to ensure editorial independence and credibility abroad.
