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Exactly eight years ago this week, there were reports of concerns among Voice of America officials that Donald Trump — in his first go-around as president-elect — might try to politicize the network’s coverage. Several years later, federal investigators determined that Michael Pack, a Trump-appointed official who helped oversee the VOA, did abuse the powers of his office.

Pack, it’s also worth noting, faced complaints from more than 30 whistleblowers during his tenure.

It’s against this backdrop that Trump is president-elect again, and he has someone new in mind for the network. NBC News reported:

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he wants ally Kari Lake to be the next director of the Voice of America, a federal network that’s part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. ... Lake said on X she was “honored” by Trump’s announcement. “Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America’s achievements worldwide,” she said.

As NBC News’ report added, “The VOA’s stated mission is not to promote America’s achievements; rather, its website says it is ‘committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth.’”.....

As for Trump’s motivations, The New York Times published a related analysis that noted, “It’s a surprising development for a political figure who has long deployed the word ‘loser’ as an insult, and who tried to overturn the 2020 election rather than admit he lost it. But some of these Republicans lost their races in part because of their support for Trump — which means losing can make for winning politics in Washington when loyalty to Trump is the coin of the realm.”

All of which suggests the so-called “Team of Losers” list might yet grow longer.