Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz has been fired after he refused a demotion that would have also required him to relocate, his attorneys said in a court filing Monday.
In a letter included in that court filing, John Zadrozny, senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media told Abramowitz he has been given 30 days notice he will be terminated, effective Aug. 31. The letter specifically cited Abramowitz’s refusal to accept the demotion and relocate, which Zadrozny characterized as a disciplinary issue.
Abramowitz’s lawyers are already seeking a partial summary judgment in the matter and submitted news of his being fired to the court as part of that effort. They are asking for a court ruling by no later than Aug. 29, two days before his termination takes effect.
Abramowitz informed VOA staff in late July, in a letter he also shared on Linkedin, that his lawyers were filing court challenges to Trump administration efforts to remove him from his job.
“I wanted you to be aware that my lawyers have filed a motion in federal court today challenging efforts by USAGM to remove me as director of Voice of America. They believe USAGM’s action is plainly illegal. I can’t say much about the details of the case beyond what is laid out in the court filing. But I do want to stress that this action is not about me personally but about preserving the rule of law and fulfilling VOA’s vital mission of delivering fact-based news and information about America to the world,” he wrote.
His firing comes amid the Trump administration’s much larger attack on press independence, as well as its efforts to shutter VOA entirely along with affiliated networks including Radio Free Europe.
Abramowitz has fiercely opposed those efforts, including a lawsuit filed in March after the Trump administration attempted to illegally shut down VOA.
Hundreds of VOA staffers were fired in June, leaving the outlet with just 200 employees, a mere 15% of the headcount it had before Trump assumed office in January.
