Kari Lake tried to strike a diplomatic tone during a Senate confirmation hearing, but she was dogged by the baseless claims she made as a political candidate and her blunders at the helm of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
President Donald Trump nominated Lake to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Jamaica. She was pressed on her past on June 18 during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“I'm looking to the future, and what I want to do is to hone my skills. I want to take everything I've learned thus far and work at being the best diplomat and ambassador that the U.S. has ever sent to Jamaica,” Lake said.
To serve in Jamaica, Lake needs Senate confirmation.
Lake, a Republican former news anchor who lost two statewide campaigns in Arizona, was the de facto CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media until a federal judge ruled that she was illegally empowered to run the agency.
People are also reading…
Lake ordered mass firings at the agency, which oversees Voice of America. The judge deemed her actions in the role were illegitimate in March and ordered journalists back to work.
The Arizona Republican faced critical questions from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, about her decision to slash jobs at VOA, including at VOA Persia before the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
“Your limitation of our ability to transmit information to Iran was egregious,” Murphy said.
Lake also faced questions about a claim she made, without evidence, that her former political opponent is controlled by drug cartels. Lake lost to Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, in 2024. Lake had sought to tie Gallego to his father's criminal history.
“You had no evidence then, nor do you have any evidence now that our colleague, Senator Gallego, is controlled by cartels. Do you, Miss Lake?” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, asked.
Lake said that her campaign “provided the receipts,” but when Kaine pushed her, Lake admitted she did not know. Kaine asked Lake to apologize to Gallego. Instead, she doubled down and said, “I don’t believe my charge was wrong.”
“She's continuing to repeat a lie. She just told the committee she has no idea whether it's true or false, but she was glad to say it, and she won't retract it now. That should be disqualifying,” Kaine said.
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pennsylvania, gave Lake an opportunity to address her 2022 and 2024 political campaigns.
Lake’s effort to overturn the 2022 gubernatorial election results failed in court. She lost that race to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
“I thought that this country was set up where an outsider could step into politics, but then I realized that sometimes the political class doesn't want the outsiders, but that's OK. It was a great learning experience,” Lake said. “I fought for fair and free elections in the courts for the people of Arizona and I'm glad that the president is going to continue fighting for fair and free elections.”
After receiving praise from Republican lawmakers including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee, Lake said Jamaica was a special place for her family.
“Over the past 35 years, I've traveled to Jamaica too many times to count,” Lake said, noting she spent her honeymoon there. “Yes, of course, Jamaica has beautiful beaches and mountains and waterfalls, that's, that's a given, but it's the incredible Jamaican people whose warmth, friendliness, and deep pride in their country keeps us going back.”
If confirmed, Lake said she would prioritize preparation and support for natural disasters, strengthen security cooperation and advance the nation’s economic interests in Jamaica.
During the hearing, Lake did not address a claim that she won two Billboard music awards, which appeared on her certificate of competency for the Jamaica post. The producer on Lake’s song, “81 Million Votes My A–,” told local media that she did not win such an award.
She did, however, praise Jamaicans for their leadership in the music industry.
“When Jamaicans put their hearts into something, they succeed, from earning Olympic gold medals to creating entire musical genres like reggae, to creating businesses,” Lake said. “Nothing can keep a Jamaican down.”
