特朗普任命移民强硬派卡里·莱克担任美国之音负责人
【中美创新时报2024 年 12 月 12 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）当选总统唐纳德·特朗普周三表示，他选择卡里·莱克(Kari Lake)担任美国之音负责人，任命一位曾竞选亚利桑那州州长和参议院席位但未成功的忠实支持者担任这家由国会资助的广播公司的负责人，该公司在全球范围内提供独立的新闻报道。美联社记者威尔·韦塞特和乔纳森·J·库珀对此作了下述报道。
莱克是一名移民强硬派，曾在凤凰城担任电视新闻主播近三十年，直到 2021 年她在社交媒体上发表了一系列有争议的言论后离开，包括在疫情期间分享 COVID-19 错误信息。
莱克上镜、迷人且善于沟通，不久之后便开始了她的政治生涯，她迅速积累了一批忠实的追随者和全国知名度，她与记者们争论不休，并附和特朗普对她所谓的“假新闻”的尖锐批评。
特朗普在一份声明中表示，莱克最终将由美国全球媒体署署长任命，并与新政府密切合作，“我将很快宣布新政府的任命”。
他说莱克将“确保美国的自由和解放价值观在世界各地得到公平和准确的传播，而不是像假新闻媒体散布的谎言那样。”
这位当选总统过去曾对美国之音提出过激烈批评，包括在 2020 年表示“他们说的话让我们的国家感到恶心”。
在特朗普的第一个任期内，该广播公司因其对冠状病毒大流行初期的报道而受到进一步批评，白宫出版的《1600 Daily》新闻和事件电子邮件摘要指责其使用纳税人的钱“为独裁政权代言”。这是在美国之音报道了病毒首次出现的中国武汉市解除封锁之后。
美国之音成立于二战期间，其国会章程要求其向国际观众提供独立的新闻和信息。它通过为其报道辩护来回应特朗普的批评。
2021 年 1 月上任后，乔·拜登总统的政府迅速将一些与特朗普结盟的高级官员从美国之音及其附属职位中除名。
莱克通过坚持认为她和特朗普都是选举舞弊受害者的谎言而赢得了特朗普的喜爱。她从未承认输掉了州长竞选，并在 2023 年出版的《无所畏惧：刚刚开始》一书中称自己为“合法州长”。
莱克在开始竞选参议员后，仍继续在法庭上争取推翻该裁决，但未能成功。上个月，莱克以更大的差距输掉了竞选，因为她试图在竞选期间缓和语气，但在选举舞弊和堕胎等棘手问题上难以保持一致的信息。
尽管如此，特朗普在决定选择 JD Vance 之前，还是考虑过让她担任副总统竞选搭档。
同样在周三，特朗普宣布选择 Leandro Rizzuto 担任美国驻华盛顿美洲国家组织大使，并表示他希望佛罗里达州人身伤害律师 Dan Newlin 担任其政府驻哥伦比亚大使。
他还选择了医生、佛罗里达州最大的紧急护理公司之一的创始人 Peter Lamelas 担任美国驻阿根廷大使。 Lamelas 也是特朗普和其他共和党高层过去竞选活动的大额捐助者。
题图：卡里·莱克。罗斯·D·富兰克林/美联社
附原英文报道：
Trump taps immigration hard-liner Kari Lake as head of Voice of America
By WILL WEISSERT and JONATHAN J. COOPER The Associated Press,Updated December 11, 2024
Kari Lake.Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world.
Lake, an immigration hard-liner, was a television news anchor in Phoenix for nearly three decades until she left in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including sharing COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic.
Telegenic, engaging and adept at communicating, Lake launched her political career a short time later, quickly building a loyal following and national profile as she sparred with journalists and echoed Trump in her sharp criticism of what she called the “fake news.”
In a statement, Trump said Lake would be ultimately be appointed by and work closely with the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media for his incoming administration, “who I will announce soon.”
He said Lake will “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.”
The president-elect has in the past been a fierce critic of Voice of America, including saying in 2020 that “things they say are disgusting toward our country.”
The broadcaster drew additional criticism during Trump’s first term for its coverage of the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, with a White House publication, the “1600 Daily” email summary of news and events, accusing it of using taxpayer money “to speak for authoritarian regimes.” That was after VOA covered the lifting of lockdowns in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.
VOA was founded during World War II, and its congressional charter requires it to present independent news and information to international audiences. It responded to Trump’s criticism by defending its coverage.
Upon taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden’s administration swiftly removed a number of senior officials aligned with Trump from VOA and positions affiliated with it.
Lake endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were the victims of election fraud. She has never acknowledged losing the gubernatorial race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book, “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.”
Lake continued her unsuccessful fight in court to overturn it even after beginning her run for Senate — which she lost by an even higher margin last month, after trying to moderate her tone during her tone but struggling to keep a consistent message on thorny topics, including election fraud and abortion.
Trump nonetheless considered her for his vice presidential running mate before deciding on JD Vance.
Also Wednesday, Trump announced Leandro Rizzuto as his choice to be the U.S. ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States, and said he wanted Florida personal injury attorney Dan Newlin to be his administration’s ambassador to Colombia.
He also picked Peter Lamelas, a physician and the founder of one of Florida’s largest urgent care companies, to be the U.S. ambassador to Argentina. Lamelas is also a large donor to the past campaigns of Trump and other top Republicans.
