President-elect Donald Trump has named Kari Lake director of Voice of America, appointing a staunch loyalist and immigration hardliner to lead the congressionally funded network that provides independent news reporting around the world.

Lake, who unsuccessfully ran for governor of Arizona and a Senate seat, was a television news anchor in Phoenix for nearly three decades until she left in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including spreading misinformation about Covid-19 during the pandemic.

She launched her political career a short time later, quickly building a loyal following and a national profile by engaging with journalists and echoing Trump in his harsh criticism of what she called “fake news.” In 2022, she said she would be a journalist’s “worst damn nightmare” if she won the race for governor of Arizona.

She endeared herself to Trump by dogmatically opposing the lie that both she and Trump were victims of voter fraud. She never acknowledged defeat in the 2022 gubernatorial election and lost her Senate election last month by an even larger margin. Trump considered her as his vice presidential running mate before settling on JD Vance.

Trump has been a fierce critic of Voice of America (VOA) in the past, saying, among other things, in 2020 that “the things they say are disgusting to our country.”

During Trump’s first term, the network faced additional criticism for its coverage of the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. A White House release accused him of using taxpayer money “to speak for authoritarian regimes” because he reported on the lifting of the lockdown in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.

Founded during World War II, VOA is mandated by congressional charter to present independent news and information to international audiences. She responded to Trump’s criticism by defending her reporting.

After taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden’s administration immediately removed a number of senior officials allied with Trump from the VOA and its associated positions.

Also on Wednesday, Trump announced Leandro Rizzuto as his choice for U.S. ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States and said he wanted Florida personal injury lawyer Dan Newlin to be his administration’s ambassador to Colombia.

He also chose Peter Lamelas, a doctor and founder of one of Florida’s largest emergency care companies, as U.S. ambassador to Argentina. Lamelas is also a major donor to the past campaigns of Trump and other top Republicans.