Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Refuses To Replace Dismantled Mail Sorting Machines, Accused Of Withholding Information From Congress

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Monday he will not replace the 671 high-speed mail sorting machines that have been removed for U.S. Postal Service sorting facilities but maintained mail delays should be virtually eliminated within days.

In his second appearance in less than a week before congressional committees investigating recent changes at post offices that have resulted in delays that many fear portend disaster for a largely mailed-in November election.

“There are a lot of things that are impacting our service,” DeJoy said. “This is one of them on the front end and we, we should have cleared it up quicker. And we’re, I think we have the focus on it now, and it will recover quite rapidly going forward.”

DeJoy called accusations his changes had delayed the mail “misinformation.”

Questioning before the House Oversight and Reform Committee turned testy. Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., accused DeJoy of either purposefully delaying the mail or demonstrating “incompetence at best.”

She also accused DeJoy of withholding documents from the committee and threatened to subpoena him.

“Mr. DeJoy, you’re withholding information from us, concealing documents, and downplaying the damage you are causing,” Maloney said. “This committee expects a full and complete production of all the documents you requested no later than this coming Wednesday, and if you continue to withhold information or otherwise fail to comply, you can expect a subpoena.”

After being accused of “screwing up” the postal system in record time, DeJoy emphatically answered, “No, I will not,” when asked by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., if he would replace the sorting machines that have been dismantled because of a drop in first-class mail volume.

Lynch capped his questioning by asking DeJoy by asking: “Is your backup plan to be pardoned by the president like Roger Stone,” a reference to the 2016 Trump campaign adviser who was convicted of obstruction of justice, lying to investigators and witness tampering.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., called accusations Trump and DeJoy are trying to destroy the postal service a plot “concocted by the Democrats,” calling it a “stunt.”

During the hearing, Trump chimed in on Twitter, saying Democrats are trying to shift what he predicted would be fraud onto Republicans.