WASHINGTON (AP) – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used US government-funded radio waves on Monday to fully defend the Trump administration’s presentation of its foreign policy and its support for democracy abroad.
Less than a week after supporters of President Donald Trump invaded the United States Capitol to try to subvert the results of an election that saw the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, Pompeo told the Voice of America team that America maintains credibility and position to defend democracy values abroad. And, he said, they should amplify that.
Pompeo’s speech reaffirmed his loyalty to Trump at a time when Democrats are calling on cabinet members and Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
In a speech broadcast live by VOA’s English and foreign language services, Pompeo also sided with the parent agency’s director, Michael Pack, who was accused by lawmakers and others of trying to turn US-funded international broadcasters into media outlets. Trump propaganda. He also denounced protests by some VOA officials, who complained that live coverage of his speech would violate VOA’s mandate to present impartial news to foreign audiences.
“It is not false news for you to disclose that this is the largest nation the world has ever known,” said Pompeo, without directly mentioning Wednesday’s deadly attack on US Congressional headquarters. “I’m not saying to ignore our shortcomings. Acknowledge them. But this is not Vice of America, focusing on everything that is wrong with our great nation. It is certainly not the place to give a platform to authoritarian regimes in Beijing or Tehran ”.
But he said VOA had forgotten its mission, allowed foreigners with suspicious loyalty to represent it and became very focused on American shortcomings.
“We allowed security protocols to expire and VOA lost its commitment to the founding mission,” said Pompeo. “His broadcasts have become less about telling the truth about America and often about demeaning America.”
These allegations were vehemently denied by VOA officials, lawmakers and others. But Pompeo said VOA journalists should emulate his example of extolling America’s virtues.
“” Your mission is to promote democracy, freedom and American values in the world, “he said. “This is what differentiates VOA from MSNBCs and Fox News. You can give a voice to those who have no voice in the dark corners of the world. You are the voice of the American effort. You are the voice of American exceptionalism. You are the tip of the spear of freedom. “
Some VOA employees, however, were not impressed by the message or plans to deliver it personally in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a message sent to Pack and VOA’s new director, Robert Reilly, on Friday, a lawyer for a group of VOA employees objected to Pompeo’s plan to speak at the agency, saying it “puts health and public safety, violates the law, rules and regulations so grossly wastes government resources. ”
“A speech delivered by the outgoing secretary of state on topics on which he has been widely covered must be seen for what it is: the use of VOA to disseminate political propaganda in the last days of the Trump administration,” said the letter, signed by attorney David Seide Government Accountability Project.
“As proposed, the coverage planned by the language services will be unilateral and without the necessary objectivity protected by the firewall. It is a political intrusion, ”he said.
Pompeo rejected the complaints and compared them to actions to ban Trump on Twitter and other media.
“I read that some VOA employees did not want me to speak today,” said Pompeo. “They didn’t want the voice of American diplomacy to be broadcast. … the Voice of America. Think about it.”
“We are all part of institutions with greater duties and responsibilities than any of us. And that kind of censorship instinct is dangerous, ”he said. “It is morally wrong. And it is against your mandate. Censorship, attitude, political correctness, everything points in one direction – authoritarianism, disguised as moral rectitude. It is similar to what we see on Twitter, Facebook, Apple and many college campuses. “
There was no immediate response to the letter of complaint from VOA or Pack, which runs the United States Agency for Global Media, which oversees the network and its sister establishments.
Pack, a conservative filmmaker, Trump’s ally and former associate of former Trump political advisor Steve Bannon, has made no secret of his intention to shake up the agency since becoming CEO of USAGM after a long confirmation battle in the Senate that finally ended after Trump and his allies launched a series of attacks on VOA and demanded new leadership.
Biden and his team promised a full review of Pack’s actions and could replace him soon after taking office, but it is not entirely clear how many of his personal decisions could be reversed immediately.