Trump taps State official to lead Voice of America parent agency after Kari Lake bombs

Washington DC - President Donald Trump recently nominated a State Department official to head the parent agency of Voice of America, replacing his longtime MAGA ally Kari Lake.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump (r.) nominated Sarah Rogers to replace Kari Lake (l.) as head of Voice of America's parent agency.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump (r.) nominated Sarah Rogers to replace Kari Lake (l.) as head of Voice of America's parent agency.  © Collage: Samuel Corum / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & JUAN BARRETO / AFP

On Thursday, Trump nominated Sarah Rogers – who is currently the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy at the State Department – to be Chief Executive Officer of the US Agency for Global Media.

The move comes less than a week after a federal judge ruled that Lake was unlawfully appointed to head VOA and voided the sweeping changes she made while in the role.

According to NBC News, Rogers is a former First Amendment lawyer who has been working with the Trump administration to oppose the European Union and United Kingdom's efforts to regulate online hate speech and misinformation.

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In an X post, Rogers said she was "deeply honored by" the nomination, and said "Truth-telling and censorship circumvention... are critical causes for me.

Lake shared Rogers' post, praising her as "brilliant" and a "First Amendment warrior."

A spokesperson for the State Department told NBC News that if Rogers is confirmed by the Senate, she will continue her role and work simultaneously.

"Rogers would be uniquely well positioned to significantly strengthen coordination between US international broadcasting and American public diplomacy in the national interest," the spokesperson added.

Cover photo: Collage: Samuel Corum / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & JUAN BARRETO / AFP

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