Staff Reports
GOP Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee took the opportunity to confront National Public Radio CEO Katherine Maher, targeting her past tweets that labeled President Donald Trump a “fascist” and a “deranged racist sociopath.” This exchange occurred during a House Committee hearing focused on government efficiency, where discussions revolved around potential funding cuts to NPR and PBS. The whole situation felt scripted, but thankfully, Burchett brought the drama.
Burchett didn’t hold back and asked Maher directly why she had made those incendiary comments back in 2020. Maher’s response was about as convincing as a cat claiming it’s a dog. She expressed regret and claimed those tweets reflected a moment of misunderstanding rather than a personal belief about the character of Trump. This retreat from her previous statements was reminiscent of someone realizing mid-trial that the jury is not buying the defense’s excuses.
In May 2020, Maher speculated on social media about Trump’s mental state, posing questions about his behavior. Such remarks seemed less like journalism and more like a soap opera script gone terribly wrong. While she has since deleted messages branding Trump a racist, her past statements are enough to raise eyebrows about NPR’s editorial integrity. It’s particularly amusing that NPR now wants to walk back these claims, as if they were never aired in the first place.
Watch – GOP Rep Confronts NPR CEO: Why Did You Call Pres Trump a 'Fascist' and 'Deranged Racist'?@NPR and @PBS received a combined $535 million in taxpayer dollars during the current fiscal year. Congress is considering ending that funding. https://t.co/xliy6ki4rj
— Randy DeSoto (@RandyDeSoto) March 27, 2025
Moreover, Burchett’s probing wasn’t the only issue at hand. Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio jumped in to expose the obvious lack of diversity among NPR’s staff, particularly in terms of political affiliation. An astonishing 87% of their editorial staff reportedly identifies as registered Democrats. Maher’s response to the query about this imbalance was classic corporate doublespeak—claiming that while they don’t track voter registration, the lack of Republicans in editorial positions was concerning. One might think that for an outlet claiming to serve the entire nation, a little political balance wouldn’t be such a stretch.
Adding to the comedy of errors, Maher conceded that NPR had made a significant oversight by ignoring the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 election. Yet, amidst all this, she firmly asserted that NPR remains a nonpartisan organization. This statement would be laughable if the implications weren’t audaciously serious. Claims of nonpartisanship from an organization so heavily tilted toward one side of the political spectrum sound about as genuine as a three-dollar bill.
As taxpayers continue to fund NPR to the tune of $535 million annually, it’s hard to imagine how any reasonable person wouldn’t question whether this money should be funneled into a network with such a clear bias. With the future of public broadcasting up for debate, the entire circus only highlights the need for accountability and transparency in media funding. It seems that the only thing more pervasive than the government’s influence in broadcasting is the bias that comes along with it.
