House committee sounds alarm on systemic 'failures' of US agency funding media abroad
Fox News
A new bombshell report by the House Foreign Affairs Committee details what its chairman calls systemic "failures" that resulted in inadequate vetting of a high-ranking employee.
It has also been the subject of a yearslong investigation by Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans, who have alleged systematic mismanagement throughout the agency and accused it of trying to impede their probe. Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
In particular, the investigation has focused on Setareh Sieg, a VOA journalist who was suspended and expected to be fired under the Trump administration in early January 2021, only to be restored "with no loss of pay or seniority" the day after President Biden was sworn in, according to documents obtained by the committee. Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
"Sieg’s case is symptomatic of a larger issue. As an agency which routinely hires foreign or foreign-educated individuals, it is troubling that USAGM does not have more robust processes in place to vet employees and detect misrepresented credentials. Sieg’s case calls into question the competence and credibility of USAGM’s entire H.R. apparatus, and the implications of this failure must be addressed," McCaul told Fox News Digital.