Kari Lake reverses her decision to cancel funding for Radio Free Europe, according to the Washington Examiner
Kari lake, a senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media,recently withdrew the Trump management’s cancellation of funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) following a temporary restraining order from a U.S. District Court. Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the organization’s claims regarding a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act were likely to succeed. This decision counters the Trump administration’s initiative to diminish U.S.-funded media, which it views as propagating leftist ideologies. Lake communicated her decision in a letter to RFE/RL, indicating that the withdrawal of the funding cancellation does not preclude future termination under applicable law. judge Lamberth emphasized that any attempt to liquidate RFE/RL contradicts Congressional appropriations, noting that the administration cannot unilaterally shut down the organization. The developments follow a broader critique from the White House concerning liberal bias in outlets like Voice of America, which shares the same funding structure as RFE/RL.
Kari Lake withdraws cancellation of Radio Free Europe funding
U.S. Agency for Global Media senior adviser Kari Lake withdrew the Trump administration’s cancellation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s funding on Wednesday after a court granted the news organization a temporary restraining order.
Lake rescinded the order to end a legal standoff with the organization after Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the claim of an Administrative Procedure Act violation was likely to succeed on its merits. The move marks a defeat for the Trump administration’s efforts to end U.S.-funded media, which the administration believes push left-wing propaganda.
“Plaintiff has secured the primary relief — withdrawing the termination of its grant agreement — that it requested in the complaint. Now that Plaintiff has received that relief, Defendants’ position is that this matter is now moot,” Lake’s attorney wrote.
Lake sent a letter to RFE/RL on Wednesday announcing the decision.
“This precision is without prejudice to USAGM’s authority to terminate the grant at a later date if USAGM were to determine that such termination was appropriate under the applicable law,” she wrote.
In his Tuesday ruling, Lamberth wrote that the attempted liquidation of RFE/RL was contrary to the position of Congress, which appropriates funds for the organization every year.
“The leadership of USAGM cannot, with one sentence of reasoning offering virtually no explanation, force RFE/RL to shut down — even if the President has told them to do so,” he wrote.
JUDGE BLOCKS KARI LAKE AND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM PULLING RADIO FREE EUROPE FUNDING
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month drastically cutting USAGM and other U.S.-funded organizations. Lake told the organization to disband in a March 15 letter, citing a shift in the government’s priorities.
The White House had grown incensed with USAGM’s outlets, particularly Voice of America, which operates under the same umbrella as RFE/RL. A March 15 press release titled “The Voice of Radical America” cited several VOA articles as evidence of alleged liberal bias, including one on “white privilege” and a video about transgender migrants seeking to enter the United States.
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