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... To mark the completion of Trump's first year in office last week, Lake was interviewed on Voice of America's Persian-language service through an interpreter. During the five-minute segment, she praised Trump repeatedly.

Lake lauded Trump's actions toward Iran, called him "the president of peace" and reiterated Trump's tenuous claims he had ended eight wars and conflicts.

Lake said Trump was "putting out fires" throughout the world with a policy of "peace through strength." She also castigated judges who ruled against Trump and the administration, citing an "out-of-control judiciary," and she trashed former President Joe Biden's record, which she termed "horrific." NPR reviewed her original remarks in English and the interpretation offered to viewers in Iran, the service's target audience. ...

Lake is a familiar pro-Trump guest on such conservative news outlets as Fox, Newsmax and OANN, where she shares baseless claims of election fraud and comments on topics like immigration and Venezuela. None of them have any direct link to her federal job.

Given Lake's role overseeing the parent agency of Voice of America, her appearance last week was a sharp departure for the network.

In separate interviews, 11 current and former Voice of America journalists and officials at its federal parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, said they could not recall anything like it. Most spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing professional retribution, given ongoing links to the agency, its broadcasters or the federal government.

By law, the chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media is required to respect what is often called a firewall, designed to shield editorial staffers and their news decisions from politics. Since late July, Lake has periodically fashioned herself as the agency chief, though she is currently signing her official emails as deputy CEO. ...