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| #SaveThePostOffice | |
| Dear Neighbor, A few weeks ago, on August 21, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified before the U.S. Senate that he had had no contact with any officials from the Trump campaign. I was highly suspicious of this claim that contradicted statements made by DeJoy to the Postal Board of Governors. My suspicions were validated on August 24, during our House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, when I forced Postmaster General DeJoy to admit under oath that he misled the U.S. Senate and in fact, communicated with several unnamed “friends” of his who were “associated with the campaign.”
We must protect the USPS. Working with the House Oversight Committee we have been fighting to mitigate the damage being wrought by Mr. DeJoy’s deliberate sabotage of the Postal Service. I want to take a moment to update you on where things stand today: On August 26, just two days after our hearing, I wrote to Mr. DeJoy to request documents and information relating to the people with whom he had contact, the dates when each of these communications occurred, and a detailed description of the content of each conversation. The response I received on September 2 was as unacceptable and vague as DeJoy’s original testimony before our Committee. He confirmed that he had indeed communicated with individuals associated with the Trump campaign, but he failed to identify the individuals he spoke with—or when these conversations occurred. He also failed to produce any of the documents I requested. Fortunately, that same day, our Committee issued a subpoena to Mr. DeJoy for a host of documents related to his operational changes that have led to service disruptions, delivery delays, the removal or destruction of mail sorting machines, and more. My request for records, documents, and information regarding Mr. DeJoy’s contact with the Trump campaign is included in that subpoena, and he is mandated to produce them to the Committee by September 16. I wrote to Mr. DeJoy again this week to remind him of the tight deadline he’s under, and to reiterate that I expect nothing less than his full compliance with our subpoena. You can read my full letter here, and I’ll include a short excerpt below. Under the terms of the subpoena, you must produce these documents to the Committee by September 16, 2020, and your production must include communications “through official or personal technology platforms.” To be clear, there is no prohibition on having personal friends who are involved in politics. But you may not withhold information from Congress about official Postal Service matters by cloaking them in the guise of personal relationships. Claiming a personal relationship does not absolve you of your responsibility to produce these documents to the Committee. Recent reports have raised additional serious concerns about your extensive participation in political fundraising. Congress, and the American public, have a right to know about your contacts with the Trump campaign. I have repeatedly called on Mr. DeJoy to resign, and the Board of Governor’s refusal to remove him yesterday was a dereliction of their duty. He should not hold that job, and we will not fully restore trust in the Postal Service so long as he does. But while he’s here, I promise to continue to hold him accountable. Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other, and remember that my office is here to help. Be sure to visit the COVID-19 page on my website for more information and resources. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you need assistance, please don't hesitate to call us at (703) 256-3071. Sincerely,
Gerald E. Connolly Member of Congress |
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