Voice of America staff sue Trump administration for shutting down network

Six Voice of America journalists sued Kari Lake and the Trump administration on Friday,
alleging their moves to shut down the U.S.-funded network were unlawful and unconstitutional.

The journalists say that the government’s acts violate their First Amendment rights on free speech grounds and usurp the U.S. Congress’s control of the power of the federal purse.

More than 900 full-time network employees were placed on indefinite leave last weekend;
550 contractors were terminated from their jobs.

Most employees at the federal parent, U.S. Agency for Global Media, were also placed on indefinite leave.

The lead plaintiffs include #Patsy #Widakuswara, until recently Voice of America’s White House bureau chief
and #Jessica #Jerreat , its press freedom editor.

Four other journalists sued anonymously as John Does.
#Kathryn #Neeper, the director of strategy and performance assessment at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, is also a named plaintiff.

She was also placed on leave.
Few Voice of America journalists are known inside the U.S.;
the network is prohibited from broadcasting to American audiences.

Nonetheless, Widakuswara made headlines twice:
First in pressing Trump’s then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in early 2021 over the siege of the U.S. Capitol
and, earlier this month, in asking Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin about “the president’s plans to expel Palestinians from Gaza” at an appearance with President Trump at the White House
https://whistleblower.org/in-the-news/npr-voice-of-america-staff-sue-trump-administration-for-shutting-down-network/