House Democrats call for immediate suspension of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and launch investigation into his testimony to lawmakers
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have called for the immediate suspension of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy as they launch an investigation into his testimony to lawmakers.
Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic chairwoman of the Oversight and Reform Committee, said the committee will start an investigation into DeJoy, who is suspected to have lied to it under oath, the Washington Post reports.
The move follows accusations that DeJoy, a major Trump donor, had asked employees at a business he owned to make political contributions to his preferred Republican politicians, and then reimbursed his staff later with company funds.
President Donald Trump had previously given his approval for an investigation.
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have called for the immediate suspension of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy as they launch an investigation into his testimony to lawmakers.
'Let the investigations go,' Trump told reporters at a White House news conference on Monday.
Trump said the postmaster general is a 'very respected man,' and that if it can be proven that he did something wrong, he should lose his job.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday called for the North Carolina attorney general to probe allegations against DeJoy.
'These are very serious allegations that must be investigated immediately,' Schumer wrote in reference to the Post story about New Breed Logistics, a North Carolina-based company that DeJoy led from 1983 to 2014 when it was acquired by XPO Logistics.
A spokesman for DeJoy said he sought and received expert legal advice 'to ensure that he, New Breed Logistics and any person affiliated with New Breed fully complied with any and all laws.'
DeJoy has been in the political spotlight after ordering operational changes and a clampdown on overtime in a bid to fix the financially troubled US Postal Service.
Democrats have accused him of deliberately disrupting the Postal Service just as millions of Americans consider whether to cast their ballots by mail in the November 3 presidential election.
The Post reported that five former New Breed employees, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they were urged by DeJoy's aides or by the chief executive himself to write checks and attend fundraisers at his mansion.
Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic chairwoman of the Oversight and Reform Committee, said the committee will start an investigation into DeJoy
The move follows accusations that DeJoy, a major Trump donor, had asked employees at a business he owned to make political contributions to his preferred Republican politicians, and then reimbursed his staff later with company funds. President Donald Trump has previously given his approval for an investigation. Meanwhile, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for the North Carolina attorney general to probe allegations against DeJoy
They told the newspaper that DeJoy later reimbursed them through bonuses.
'Louis was a national fundraiser for the Republican Party. He asked employees for money. We gave him the money, and then he reciprocated by giving us big bonuses,' said David Young, the company's longtime director of human resources, who is now retired but had access to payroll records at New Breed from the late 1990s to 2013.
Directly or indirectly reimbursing employee campaign contributions violates federal election laws.
The arrangement is sometimes used to evade limits on campaign contributions.
DeJoy 'was never notified by the New Breed employees referenced by the Washington Post of any pressure they might have felt to make a political contribution, and he regrets if any employee felt uncomfortable for any reason,' his spokesman said.
Josh Stein, the North Carolina attorney general, said in a statement on Sunday that he could not comment on specific cases but that 'any credible allegations of such actions merit investigation by the appropriate state and federal authorities'.
A spokesman for XPO Logistics said that the company 'stays out of politics' and that staff have the same 'right as anyone else to support candidates of their choosing in their free time,' according to the Post.
The Washington Post published its story about New Breed Logistics, a North Carolina-based company that DeJoy led from 1983 to 2014, on Sunday (file photo)
A United States Postal Service (USPS) carrier makes his rounds on August 5 in New York City. The USPS, the nation's national mail carrier service, is under increased scrutiny from politicians who are warning that the agency is not prepared to handle the tens of millions of mail-in ballots which are expected to be sent for the November election
Last week DeJoy was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee for 'witholding' documents about mail delays and communications with the Trump campaign.
The subpoena sought documents related to operational changes that have slowed mail, and the agency's plans for the presidential election.
The request comes after the Democrat's committee chair Maloney said DeJoy has not sufficiently answered the panel's requests for more information.
'It is clear that a subpoena has become necessary to further the Committee´s investigation and help inform potential legislative actions,' Maloney (D - New York), said last week.
De Joy's appointment in June set in motion a set of policy changes that have delayed mail and sparked concern over the agency's ability to process mail-in ballots this fall.
He has appeared before Congress twice in recent weeks to testify about the removal of the agency's blue collection boxes and mail sorting machines, as well as changes to trucking operations and overtime hours that postal workers say are resulting in delays.
Amid a public outcry, DeJoy said he halted some of the changes until after election.
Democrats have been pushing for increased oversight of the Postal Service following DeJoy's operational changes and Trump's baseless claims that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud.
Trump floated an idea to supporters Wednesday that they vote twice - once by mail and once by person - to see if mail-in balloting is working.
'So let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote.
'If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote,' Trump suggested to a crowd gathered at the airport in Wilmington, North Carolina.
It would be considered voter fraud for people to knowingly vote twice in an election.
House Democrats call for immediate suspension of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and launch investigation into his testimony to lawmakers
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September 08, 2020
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