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WASHINGTON - A key U.S. lawmaker on Tuesday called on Michael Pack, the new chief executive officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media which oversees Voice of America and other government-funded international media entities, to testify next month about why he fired several top officials and installed Trump administration political appointees to the agency's leadership structure.
New York Democratic Congressman Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, set a hearing for July 8. Pack and USAGM have not indicated whether the new CEO plans to testify.
In a separate action, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee announced that Senator Bob Menendez, the most senior Democrat on the committee, has asked the State Department's acting inspector general to investigate whether the firings violated a federal regulation protecting the news organization's' independence.
Last week, Pack fired the leaders of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Network, and the Open Technology Fund, without explanation. Days earlier, VOA director Amanda Bennett, and her deputy, Sandy Sugawara, resigned, saying Pack had the right to choose his own VOA leadership.
The dismissals have led critics to accuse the incoming CEO of purging officials seen as disloyal to President Donald Trump, and to cite deeper concerns about the agencies' reputation as credible news outlets among overseas audiences.
Neither USAGM nor Pack have responded to questions about the controversy.
In a statement, Engel, a congressman for 31 years, said Pack's early moves as CEO "send an alarming message."
"Mr. Pack should explain to the committee and the American people his vision for the agency, the reason for terminating so many senior staff all at once, and his other initial actions as CEO."
Menendez, meanwhile, requested an investigation into whether the firings violate a federal rule that went into effect earlier this month declaring that "USAGM-funded networks each enjoy full editorial independence, as that term is defined and understood by best practices of journalism."
In his request to State Department Acting Inspector General Stephen Akard, Menendez wrote: "On its face, the firing of the leadership of each network and dissolution of the boards appear to constitute an attempt to 'interfere with' and 'impermissibly influence' all 'of the USAGM networks, including their leadership, officers, [and] employees ... in the performance of their journalistic and broadcasting duties and activities.'"
In an email to USAGM staff last week, Pack said he is "fully committed to honoring VOA's charter, the missions of the grantees, and the independence of our heroic journalists around the world."
Pack also said he would defend the independence of the news organizations at a Senate confirmation hearing last fall, saying, "The whole agency rests on the belief the reporters are independent, that no political influence is telling them how to report the news and what to say. Without that trust, I think, the agency is completely undermined."
However, some outside watchdogs and news organizations, including the New York Times and Washington Post, have voiced fears about Pack's willingness to resist political pressure, citing his record as a conservative filmmaker and associate of former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon.
The rule cited by Menendez was issued by USAGM earlier this month as Pack took over as chief executive, and constituted guidelines clarifying the meaning of the agency's "firewall" that protects journalists from political interference.
"Editorial independence includes, but is not limited to, the fact that only individuals within the network may make any decisions with respect to newsgathering or reporting," the directors said.
"USAGM networks and their employees, including the heads of each network, are fully insulated from any political or other external pressures or processes that would be inconsistent with the highest standards of professional journalism."