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By Anuj Cariappa

| Updated: Friday, January 22, 2021, 8:26 [IST]

Washington, Jan 22: The Biden administration has moved quickly to remove a number of senior officials aligned with former President Donald Trump from the Voice of America and the agency that oversees all US-funded international broadcasting.

The actions address fears that the US Agency for Global Media was being turned into a pro-Trump propaganda outlet. The agency announced on Thursday that VOA's director and his deputy had been removed from their positions and that the head of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting had resigned.

The moves come just a day after President Joe Biden was sworn in and demanded the resignation of Trump's hand-picked CEO of USAGM, Michael Pack. The agency said in a statement that VOA director Robert Reilly had been fired just weeks after having taken the job.

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He had been harshly criticized just last week for demoting a VOA White House correspondent who tried to ask former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a question after a town hall event. Two agency officials familiar with the matter said Reilly and his deputy, Elizabeth Robbins, were escorted from VOA's headquarters by security guards.

The officials were not authorised to discuss personnel matters and spoke on condition of anonymity. In addition, Jeffrey Shapiro, who was just recently appointed to run Cuba-focused broadcasters Radio and TV Marti, resigned at the request of the new administration, they said.

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Pack, who appointed all three of those terminated on Thursday, resigned just hours after Biden was inaugurated. Soon after his resignation, the Biden White House announced that a veteran VOA journalist, Kelu Chao, would head USAGM on an interim basis.

Pack created a furor when he took over the agency last year and fired the boards of all the outlets under his control along with the leadership of the individual broadcast networks. The actions were criticised as threatening the broadcasters' prized editorial independence.

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10:41 PM, 21 Jan

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10:40 PM, 21 Jan

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4:15 PM, 21 Jan

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3:47 PM, 21 Jan

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9:19 AM, 21 Jan

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11:33 PM, 20 Jan

Congratulations, @JoeBiden, on your inauguration as the 46th President of the United States. Our two countries have tackled some of history’s greatest challenges together - and I’m looking forward to continuing this partnership with you, @KamalaHarris, and your administration.
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11:21 PM, 20 Jan

There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face. That's why today, I am heading to the Oval Office to get right to work delivering bold action and immediate relief for American families.
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There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face, tweets Biden

11:14 PM, 20 Jan

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11:05 PM, 20 Jan

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10:56 PM, 20 Jan

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10:55 PM, 20 Jan

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Ready to serve.
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6:07 PM, 18 Jan

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6:15 PM, 18 Jan

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6:21 PM, 18 Jan

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6:34 PM, 18 Jan

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6:42 PM, 18 Jan

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6:59 PM, 18 Jan

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8:28 PM, 18 Jan

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9:39 PM, 18 Jan

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10:38 PM, 18 Jan

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12:03 AM, 19 Jan

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12:04 AM, 19 Jan

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