Musk called for the closure of Voice of America and Radio Liberty

Entrepreneur and head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Ilon Musk has called for the closure of the mass media outlets Voice of America (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (recognized as a foreign agent and undesirable in the Russian Federation). The corresponding post was published on February 9 on his page on the social network X (former Twitter).

One of the X users, citing the words of US President Donald Trump's special envoy Richard Grenell, wrote that Voice of America and Radio Liberty are a relic of the past, provided by American taxpayers.

Musk commented on this publication, noting that the said radio stations are really no longer listened to by anyone.

"Yes, shut them down. <...> These are just radical leftist lunatics who talk to themselves, burning $1 billion a year from the funds of US taxpayers," - said the head of DOGE.

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Earlier, on February 5, Musk spoke negatively about the practice of funding the media with public money, calling it a huge waste of taxpayers' money. He noted that this includes paying for subscriptions to Associated Press news stories, for which the U.S. government allocates millions of dollars annually.

On his X page on February 9, he also mocked the "independent" media in Russia and Ukraine, which have been left without funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Musk announced the launch of the process to liquidate USAID on February 3. The billionaire said that the agency could not be restored and should be shut down.