USAGM Chief Fires Trump Allies Over Radio Free Europe And Other Networks

The acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media continued her sweep of federally funded international broadcasters to remove leaders linked to former President Donald Trump.

On Friday evening, Kelu Chao fired the recently appointed presidents and boards of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks named by her predecessor, Trump loyalist Michael Pack. Over his seven months there, Pack had embarked on a scorched-earth assault on the agency's networks, telling conservative media outlets he needed to "drain the swamp" and that its newsrooms were overrun with anti-Trump journalists.

The firings were described by several people with knowledge of the actions and in materials reviewed by NPR. USAGM had no comment.

Unlike Voice of America and the Cuban broadcasters, which are owned by the federal government, these are technically private not-for-profit networks funded by USAGM.

RFE's Ted Lipien, RFA's Stephen J. Yates and MBN's Victoria Coates were appointed by Pack in late December. (Coates' dismissal was first reported by Politico.)