If successful, Trump's move would install a loyalist at the helm of the network. A U.S. judge found Trump appointees illegally violated Voice of America's journalistic independence in his first term.
The 29-year-old said he was detained earlier this year after crossing into Syria on foot from Lebanon and held in prison until the fall of Assad. Timmerman's family called it a "Christmas miracle."
Germany hosts almost a million Syrians who fled war and dictatorship. The toppling of the Assad regime has raised questions for exiles about their next step.