President Trump moves to put his own stamp on Voice of America

On January 23, President Donald Trump dispatched two aides to scope out the studios of Voice of America, heightening concerns among some longtime staffers that President Trump may quickly put his stamp on the broadcasting arm that has long pushed US democratic ideals across the world.

The arrival of the two aides – both political operatives from Trump’s campaign – comes after Voice of America received blowback for sending out a series of tweets about White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s claims about inauguration crowd size that looked to some like an endorsement of his false statements. The news outlet later deleted one of the tweets. The concern among some staffers is especially acute because Trump’s administration is getting control over the broadcasting agency just weeks after Congress moved to eliminate the board of directors that had served as an integrity check on the organization, instead consolidating power with a CEO position appointed by the president.