November 23, 2019
By Susan Crabtree
...Risch’s failure to schedule a vote (click here) comes as the USAGM has faced a series of embarrassing management failures and internal turmoil and currently lacks a leader. Meanwhile, conservative activists are ratcheting up the pressure on the Senate to move the long-stalled nomination. Several knowledgeable sources tell RCP that the White House wants Republicans to swiftly schedule votes and move the nomination.
John Lansing, who began serving as USAGM CEO and director in 2015, left that post in late September to head National Public Radio, and a federal judge on Friday sentenced one of his hand-selected top officials at USAGM to three months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing more than $40,000 from the agency.
Haroon Ullah, who served as Lansing’s chief strategic adviser, admitted to falsifying hotel invoices, taxi receipts and double-billing third party sponsors, as well as billing USASGM for personal trips to promote his book or for weekend getaways with little to no agency business....
To be specific, besides breaking the law, Trump's nominees are a conflict of interest to the media.
September 20, 2019
By Brian Schwartz
President Donald Trump’s nominee (click here) to lead a federal media organization has been funding his own private film company with donations from a nonprofit that he runs.
Michael Pack, a conservative filmmaker with ties to Steve Bannon, has seen at least $1.6 million in donations from his nonprofit sent into the coffers of his independent production company, according to disclosure forms.
The details about Pack’s business dealings are revealed as senators review his nomination and Democrats begin to scrutinize him....
