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WASHINGTON – The Biden administration moved quickly on Thursday to appoint new leadership at Voice of America and other US-funded media, replacing a Trump ally with an editor he had recently demoted.
In his first full day on the job, the Biden administration sacked Voice of America director Robert Reilly and his deputy Elizabeth Robbins and replaced them with experienced journalists with long careers at VOA and other government-funded networks, according to a statement from the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees the media.
Reilly has been replaced by Yolanda Lopez, an editor who will be VOA’s interim director. Reilly had reassigned Lopez just days ago after one of the reporters under his supervision questioned then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a January 11 event at Voice headquarters of America.
Pompeo had given a speech and then sat down for a question-and-answer session with Reilly, but reporters had not been given a chance to ask questions. When a VOA reporter, White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara attempted to ask questions, Reilly yelled at him, according to a recent letter of protest from VOA reporters. Hours later, Widakuswara was kicked out of the beaten White House by Reilly.
Reilly, a conservative commentator, is the author of books such as “Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior is Changing Everything”.
Even after Joe Biden was sworn in as president on Wednesday, Robbins and another former political member of the Trump administration, John Jaggers, continued their efforts to try to fire several employees on Thursday, according to David Seide, an attorney representing the United States. employees.
Both pushed to fire staff members even though the Biden administration had issued instructions to suspend any staff action or proceedings to VOA and other networks.
Shortly after midnight early Thursday, four employees received a letter from Jaggers telling them they were fired “as of the date of this letter,” said Seide, who shared excerpts from the document with NBC News.
The new leadership of the US Agency for World Media, which had already officially taken the lead on Wednesday evening, quickly canceled the letters on Thursday, Seide said.
Jaggers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At around 1 p.m. on Thursday, more than 24 hours after Biden’s inauguration, Elizabeth Robbins emailed an employee to tell him that an administrative hearing related to their possible dismissal was about to proceed with or without their presence.
“This is another example of petty retribution that is always incredible,” Seide said.
Robbins told NBC News she believes she is following federal regulations by pursuing the dismissal of an employee who allegedly violated the terms of their employment. Had the process gone, it would have been difficult for VOA’s new management to go back as it would have been stranded under federal rules, according to Robbins.
When Robbins was informed by the new management that she was being fired, she responded that such a move would be illegal, citing recently passed legislation on VOA governance, Robbins said.
Her work email was then closed and she was escorted by security, Robbins said.
VOA director Reilly also claimed his dismissal was illegal and that he too was escorted out of the building, she said.
Robbins said his pullout was “politically motivated” and aimed at suppressing alleged whistleblower complaints by some VOA employees.
The Biden administration has appointed Kelu Chao, who worked for nearly 40 years at VOA as a reporter and manager, as the interim CEO of VOA’s parent agency, the US Agency for Global Media. Brian Conniff, who held senior positions at the agency and was president of the US-funded Middle East Broadcasting Networks, was appointed deputy.
Chao replaced Michael Pack, a controversial Trump-appointed person who has been accused by lawmakers and press freedom groups of undermining the editorial independence of VOA and other media. A federal judge recently banned Pack from making decisions about VOA staff and other USAGM broadcasters. Pack appointed Reilly as director of VOA just weeks before the Biden administration took over.
Pack was asked to resign shortly after Biden’s inauguration at noon on Wednesday and he announced his resignation before 2 p.m. EST.
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