Kari Lake Playfully Prods Staff, Pretends to Seek HR Memo

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Donald Trump advisor Kari Lake she played tricks on her staff by posting an enigmatic message online on Friday, instructing them to review their inboxes.

During a week when RFK, Jr. stated that the Health and Human Services Department planned to terminate 10,000 jobs, Lake’s official communication to the surviving members of the U.S. Agency for Global Media sparked concerns about further layoffs, despite the fact that many departments have already been reduced to minimal staffing levels.

The administration is moving forward with measures to dissolve the organization, encompassing entities such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Liberty. Asia , and other entities.

Hours after U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken indicated he might grant a temporary restraining order to prevent the dismissals, Lake’s statement was released. According to lawyers involved in the lawsuit, this move aimed at stopping the terminations seemed likely.

A number of VOA staff members who were dismissed or placed on leave initiated legal action in Manhattan, leading to Friday’s hearing. Meanwhile, VOA Chief Executive Officer Michael Abramowitz filed an independent lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C.

'URGENT: Employees of USAGM please check your email for an urgent message from HR. Have a great weekend,' Lake wrote on Elon Musk 's X platform.

The email acquired by revealed itself to be an updated edition of Musk's The 'fork in the road' email provided a 'deferred resignation' option to approximately 2 million federal employees.

The email referenced ' Significant changes aimed at improving efficiency, accountability, and performance have been implemented. Employees were given the period from March 28 to April 9 to determine whether to accept an offer providing full salary and benefits up to September 30th. The statement clarifies that these individuals will not be subject to work obligations until that date, except for those who opt to leave sooner.

A number of Lake's team members have already been placed on leave and restricted access to government emails, making it uncertain as of Friday how many individuals were affected. Some personnel who previously lost access to their official accounts reported them being reinstated later in the week.

The administration is employing monthly salary incentives for those choosing to depart voluntarily, whereas the specter of extensive layoffs hangs over the upcoming weeks.

The plaintiffs emerged victorious following a Manhattan court hearing; however, they acknowledged that the suspension, once officially implemented, would merely be short-term.

"I feel hopeful. The judge mentioned that he will probably issue a temporary restraining order," stated attorney David Seide from the Government Accountability Project. "We believe their actions were illegal and unconstitutional. We're requesting the court to step in and ensure the law is enforced," he explained.

Yet, the judge hadn't issued the official order as of Friday afternoon.

I'm unsure of Kari Lake's intentions behind her tweet; she’s not sharing her thoughts inside my mind," stated lead plaintiff Patsy Widakuswara. "For now, we remain hopeful regarding the temporary restraining order hearing, yet ultimately, everything will depend on the judge's final decision.

Widakuswara came of age in Indonesia during President Suharto’s autocratic rule and is currently "going against the U.S. government to uphold" freedom of the press, as she mentioned. Several of her fellow defendants claim they face potential deportation back to oppressive governments since they are at risk of losing their employment, with time running out on their visas after termination.

Originally chosen to head VOA under Trump, Lake is currently serving as an adviser for the overarching international media entity, where the nomination of their new appointee still awaits confirmation from the Senate.

She is a devoted supporter of Trump who failed in her bid for the Senate in 2024 against Democrat Ruben Gallego. An image posted on the homepage of the Agency for Global Media featuring Lake states, "This agency cannot be saved."

reached out to the agency regarding comments on Lake's post and the associated legal cases.

Abramovich sent a letter to USAID employees and also shared it on LinkedIn.

'Banning Voice of America would result in an immeasurable blow to America and rob the country of an invaluable resource,' he stated.

The lawsuit filed by employees in New York asserts that "before March 15, 2023, over 1,200 reporters, editors, technicians, and other staff operated daily across the globe to generate and distribute news, insights, opinions, and more for an international audience."

Today, due to the defendants' actions, there are almost no no employees carrying out their crucial public duties, and USAGM generates no news, no opinion, no It referenced Congress' "statutory requirement for VOA to continually broadcast worldwide."