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'Friday Night Massacre' at US Postal Service as Postmaster General—a
Major Trump Donor—Ousts Top Officials
America is in a dead sprint to authoritarianism. The man is pulling out
all the stops to prevent the citizens of this country from holding a
legitimate election in which he might face removal from office."
by Jon Queally, staff writer
Government watchdogs, Democratic lawmakers, and pro-democracy advocates
declared it a " Friday Night Massacre"
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for the U.S. Postal Service after news broke in a classic
end-of-the-week dump that Louis DeJoy—a major GOP donor to President
Donald Trump and the recently appointed Postmaster General—had issued a
sweeping overhaul of the agency, including the ouster of top executives
from key posts and the reshuffling of more than two dozen other
officials and operational managers.
According
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to the Washington Post :
The shake-up came as congressional Democrats called for an investigation
of DeJoy and the cost-cutting measures that have slowed mail delivery
and ensnared ballots in recent primary elections.
Twenty-three postal executives were reassigned or displaced, the new
organizational chart shows. Analysts say the structure centralizes power
around DeJoy, a former logistics executive and major ally of President
Trump, and de-emphasizes decades of institutional postal knowledge. All
told, 33 staffers included in the old postal hierarchy either kept their
jobs or were reassigned in the restructuring, with five more staffers
joining the leadership from other roles.
Already under fire
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for recent policy changes at the USPS that mail carriers from within
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and outside critics
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have denounced as a sabotage effort to undermine the Postal Service
broadly as well as disrupt efforts to carry out mail-in voting for
November's election amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the moves unveiled late
Friday were viewed as an overt assault on democracy and a calculated
opportunity to boost Republicans' long-held dream of undercutting or
privatizing the government-run mail service while also boosting their
election prospects in the process.
"Another Friday night massacre by this administration—and this time
dealing another devastating blow to our postal service," said
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Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) "The American people deserve answers and
we're going to keep fighting for them."
"Trump is actively sabotaging the election under our noses—this isn't
theoretical, it's happening RIGHT NOW."
—Brian Tyler Cohen, political commentator
Scanlon was among more than 80 congressional lawmakers who sent a letter
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to DeJoy earlier in the day expressing "deep concerns" about operational
changes he has made for mail carriers that have delayed deliveries and
lowered standards.
"It is vital that the U.S. Postal Service not reduce mail delivery
times, which could harm rural communities, seniors, small businesses,
and millions of Americans who rely on the mail for critical letters and
packages," the letter stated. "Eliminating overtime and directing postal
workers to leave mail on the floor of postal facilities will erode
confidence in the Postal Service and drive customers away, resulting in
even worse financial conditions in the future."
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, warned what occurred Friday is
designed to weak the Postal Service, slow vote-by-mail, and disrupt the
2020 Census.
"We are sounding an alarm regarding personnel changes, policy shifts and
service disruptions happening inside the U.S. Postal Service on Louis
DeJoy's watch," Clarke said in a statement. "The postal service lies at
the heart of our democracy and is critical to the success of an
unprecedented vote-by-mail system that is needed for a fair and
effective 2020 election season. The postal service helps ensure that our
nation's most vulnerable communities are receiving medications and
resources during the pandemic. It is also critical to the efforts to
achieve a full and accurate 2020 Census."
Clarke said the administration's intentions are clear: "DeJoy, a Trump
donor with no experience inside the postal service, has been installed
to cause chaos and disruption at a time when the timely delivery of mail
could not be more critical."
As Common Dreams reported
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earlier Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was among those who signed the
letter and also called for DeJoy's efforts to be investigated by the
Inspector General of the USPS. Since 2016 alone, DeJoy has donated
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more than $2.5 million to the Republican Party and candidates. In 2020,
prior to his appointment as Postmaster General by the GOP-controlled
board of governors, DeJoy had already given approximately $360,000
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to a Super PAC supporting Trump's reelection.
"DeJoy, a Trump donor with no experience inside the postal service, has
been installed to cause chaos and disruption at a time when the timely
delivery of mail could not be more critical."
—Kristen Clarke, Lawyers' Committee
As the Post notes in its reporting, the reshuffling of top managers and
executives—as well as a hiring freeze and push for early
retirements—"worried postal analysts, who say the tone of DeJoy's first
eight weeks and his restructuring have recast the nation's mail service
as a for-profit arm of the government, rather than an essential
service."
In a video posted
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to Twitter, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oreg.) characterized DeJoy as a
"political crony" of the president's and also denounced the brazen
efforts now on display as a "Friday Night Massacre" scenario
Appearing Friday afternoon on Capitol Hill, DeJoy brushed off
accusations that he is acting as a political bag man for Trump. "While I
certainly have a good relationship with the president of the United
States, the notion that I would ever make decisions concerning the
Postal Service at the direction of the president or anyone else in the
administration is wholly off-base," DeJoy said
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.
But outside critics like Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of
Government Ethics and a fierce critic of Trump's behavior as president,
said the latest move should be seen as nothing less than a direct effort
by DeJoy to exploit his authority at the Postal Service to further the
president's political interests and reelection prospects
According to Brian Tyler Cohen, a liberal commentator and podcast host,
"Congressional Democrats need to do something about this" immediately.
"If we wait until October/November, it'll be too late," said
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Cohen. "Trump is actively sabotaging the election under our noses—this
isn't theoretical, it's happening RIGHT NOW." Cohen said this situation
should be treated like a "five-alarm fire" and said action must be taken
by both lawmakers and the U.S. public without delay
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), chair of the House subcommittee which
has oversight for the USPS, said what DeJoy is trying to pass off as
simple organizational restructuring is actually "a Trojan Horse"
designed to destroy one of the nation's most trusted and valued
institutions from within.
Connolly on Friday night called
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it, "Deliberate sabotage to disrupt mail service on the eve of the
election—an election that hinges on mail-in ballots."
# # #
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