Key Highlights
- Radio Free Asia selling expensive broadcast gear for pennies on the dollar.
- Rep. Darrell Issa criticizes RFA’s actions as spiteful towards American taxpayers.
- Kari Lake, deputy executive at U.S. Agency for Global Media, disputes RFA’s claims of financial necessity.
The Controversial Sale of Radio Free Asia’s Equipment
A nonprofit foreign broadcaster backed by the U.S. government has sparked outrage after selling off a large portion of its expensive equipment for minimal prices on a public auction site. Radio Free Asia (RFA) is currently in the midst of selling HD cameras, teleprompters, lenses, and even office refrigerators at fire sale prices.
Fire Sale Prices Evoke Outrage
The organization, which receives about $60 million annually from American taxpayers to produce news in Asia, recently announced it had suspended operations due to a funding lapse during the government shutdown. However, what has raised eyebrows is that while its website went dark, RFA began quietly selling off significant portions of its high-end broadcasting gear on the public auction site Rasmus Auctions.
According to listings from Rasmus Auctions, items such as HD cameras are being sold for just 10 cents each. Teleprompters and professional lenses that could sell for thousands in regular markets were offered at similarly meager prices.
Even a refrigerator was listed for just 20 cents. Altogether, more than a thousand pieces of equipment have been put up for sale.
Congressman Darrell Issa’s Criticism
Rep. Darrell Issa from California, who had been working to restore RFA’s funding, described the online auction as “betrayal” and “spiteful” towards American taxpayers. “I’ve never seen such belligerence by an organization that gets 100% of its money from the U.S. government,” he said. “Lenses you’d pay thousands of dollars for are being sold for pennies.”
Issa, who had been a vocal proponent of restoring RFA’s funding, expressed his disappointment and frustration with the situation. “Shedding equipment we can no longer use, while retaining key personnel and assets, responsibly positions RFA to continue editorial operations that hold the Chinese Communist Party and other authoritarian governments to account,” RFA stated in its defense.
Disputing Claims of Financial Necessity
Kari Lake, deputy executive at the U.S. Agency for Global Media which oversees RFA, quickly disputed these claims, stating that everything they said was “not true.” She accused RFA of selling off assets to spite taxpayers, describing it as a “slap in the face” to those who fund the organization.
Adding to the controversy, Lake sent a letter to RFA demanding an explanation and promising audits. “The insanity ends now. Be prepared to open your doors next week for our team of auditors to find out what on earth is going on at RFA, as permitted under the grant agreement and applicable regulations,” she wrote.
RFA maintains that it hopes to restart its news operations if Congress restores its funding and has enough equipment to continue operating in the interim. However, these statements have not quelled the growing concern among lawmakers and taxpayers about the organization’s handling of public funds.
