Kari Lake Defends U.S. Efforts to Reach Iranians, Rejects “Fake News” Accusations in Crackdown Context

Kari Lake, acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, rejected recent claims that the Trump administration isn’t doing enough to communicate its support to the Iranian people amid the country’s brutal crackdown on protesters.

Lake told reporters that such criticism — which she repeatedly labeled “fake news” — falsely portrays the administration as failing to get President Donald Trump’s message into Iran.

“We’re working really hard to get information, and we want to get information in any way possible,” Lake said.

Starlink and virtual private networks could serve as pathways to reach Iranians cut off by Tehran’s restrictions.

“Starlink is a great idea,” she added. “VPNs work.”

Sometimes when the internet is shut off, you’ve got to go both ways, and the agency has been working hard to get more VPN access for one of its grantees, Open Technology Fund.

Lake said her agency “last week offered $10 million immediately to get that VPN service up and running,” and that it is coordinating with partners at the State Department to obtain additional funds.

The agency uses its platforms — including Radio Free Europe and Voice of America — to convey a message that President Trump is standing up for the people of Iran, that America supports the people of Iran and freedom for them.

Lake rebutted media narratives portraying U.S. efforts as insufficient.

“The fake news has got their gaslighting machine out there trying to say that we’re trying to prevent President Trump’s message from getting in,” she said. “Just the opposite.”

Lake thanked State Department officials and lawmakers for working “really hard with us to … push more VPNs to get the message in, because they’ve got to hide.”

She added that Iranians risk retaliation if the regime learns they have accessed outside information.

Some media outlets have criticized Lake’s management and the broader information push, arguing that core services have been weakened and that messaging into Iran remains limited.

One such criticism asserts that organizational decisions have hampered Radio Farda and other U.S.-funded broadcasts at key moments, limiting reliable outreach to Iranian audiences.

The debate over how best to penetrate Tehran’s tight censorship comes as protesters continue to face a violent crackdown — with the U.S. government publicly sanctioning Iranian officials for abuses and Trump urging demonstrators that “help is on its way.”

Lake maintained that her agency’s mission is clear and ongoing.

“Everything we’re doing at U.S. Agency for Global Media, whether it be Radio Free Europe or VOA, we’re trying to get that message out that President Trump is standing up for the people of Iran, that America supports the people of Iran and freedom for them, and frankly, a removal of what they’ve been going through,” Lake said.

“And hopefully, they can celebrate freedom soon and get rid of this bloodthirsty regime that’s trying to hurt so many people.”