National Public Radio (NPR) Director Katherine Maher will not respond to a House committee’s request to appear on Wednesday, the station said.
An NPR spokesperson confirmed to FOX News Digital that Maher will not appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee as requested, citing an all-day meeting with the group’s board of directors.
“NPR respects the committee and its request and has offered to testify at a date in the near future that is convenient for the committee and Maher,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
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NPR CEO Katherine Maher will not appear before a House committee Wednesday. (Getty Images)
According to NPR, the board meeting had been scheduled and announced for some time.
“These meetings have been scheduled for more than a year. The meetings will provide Maher with a review of the challenges and opportunities facing the organization, including strategies to advance NPR in fulfilling its public service mission. This will be the first opportunity to consult with the Board of Governors “America as a whole,” they continued.
The spokesperson noted that meetings like this are important because Maher has only been CEO for six weeks.
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NPR has been facing backlash for nearly a month following a scathing essay by a former senior editor. (Getty Images)
“As a result, Mr. Maher will be unable to attend this week’s hearing and has informed the committee of this and proposed an alternative date,” the spokesperson said. “Mr. Maher is expected to give written testimony in his absence.”
Last week, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) sent a letter to Maher requesting her appearance on Wednesday.
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The House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, is investigating NPR and its CEO Katherine Maher. (Getty Images)
“The committee is concerned about the direction NPR may be headed under its past and current leadership,” he said.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the commission responded to Marr’s decision not to respond to the request by saying, “How taxpayer-funded news organizations discriminate against the public’s views. Mr. Ma’s choice not to appear tomorrow speaks volumes about this.” Millions of Americans. ”
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NPR’s new CEO Katherine Maher has criticized critics for taking her past statements out of context. (Harry Murphy/Web Summit Qatar Sports File via Getty Images)
“The Chair looks forward to considering a thorough and transparent response to the Committee’s letter,” they added.
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NPR has come under renewed scrutiny from Republicans over the past month after a then-senior editor expressed serious concerns about NPR’s integrity in an essay. Among other revelations, Uli Berliner discovered that NPR’s newsroom is made up almost entirely of Democrats and not a single Republican.
Some Republican lawmakers are calling for federal funding to be given to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cancel NPR in the wake of the revelations.
