November, 04 2020, 11:00pm EDT
Thirty Members of Congress Call For FBI to Investigate Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and Others for Possible Criminal Violations Involving Election Interference
Thirty members of Congress are calling on FBI Director Christopher Wray to investigate Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee, for possible criminal interference in the election -- a demand made more urgent after the Post Office disregarded a court-ordered deadline on Election Day to check mail facilities for 300,000 missing ballots in crucial battleground states including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
WASHINGTON
Thirty members of Congress are calling on FBI Director Christopher Wray to investigate Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee, for possible criminal interference in the election -- a demand made more urgent after the Post Office disregarded a court-ordered deadline on Election Day to check mail facilities for 300,000 missing ballots in crucial battleground states including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
The letter also asks to the FBI to "pursue criminal investigations where government officials -- or private individuals -- may have violated federal law in taking actions that make it more difficult for Americans to cast their vote or to have it counted."
"It appears that US government officials and others have committed criminal violations in their efforts to suppress the vote," said Mark Weisbrot, Co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. "This cannot be allowed. These members of Congress are asking the FBI to investigate, and they should do so, in order to restore and protect the integrity of our elections."
As the Washington Post reported Wednesday:
[U.S. District Judge Emmet G.] Sullivan was incensed during Wednesday's hearing over the sweeps, accusing the Postal Service of attempting to run the clock out on his order to avoid conducting the sweeps.
"It just leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth for the clock to run out -- game's over -- and then to find out there was no compliance with a very important court order," he said.
Two members of Congress first sent a letter to the FBI on August 17, asking for a criminal investigation of DeJoy after he made changes in Postal Service operations that would slow down mail service delivery in the run-up to the November elections, at a time when tens of millions more Americans would be voting by mail.
"DeJoy changed his tune the day after members of Congress asked for a criminal investigation of his actions," CEPR's Weisbrot noted. "This shows how important it is for Congress to oversee law enforcement in electoral matters when officials and others violate federal law."
The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) was established in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives. In order for citizens to effectively exercise their voices in a democracy, they should be informed about the problems and choices that they face. CEPR is committed to presenting issues in an accurate and understandable manner, so that the public is better prepared to choose among the various policy options.
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"My child is human!" said Nasbeebah Hajjaj, a Palestinian-American woman who held up her 16-month-old son, Hamza. "Stop killing Palestinian children!"
The anti-war group CodePink said Hajjaj immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was two months old, and has lost approximately 20 family members to Israel's bombardment of Gaza since October.
The group targeted Austin's testimony a month after the Biden administration released its 2025 budget request—a proposal that includes $1.1 trillion in military-related spending. Despite growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and rights advocates, the White House has not announced conditions for military aid to Israel, which has been widely accused of human rights violations as it has assaulted Gaza and blocked humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians.
Israel's bombardment has killed at least 33,899 Palestinians so far, and more than two dozen people have died of starvation in recent months as international experts have warned parts of northern Gaza are facing famine.
At least 13,000 children have been killed, and the United Nations reported in February that 70% of those killed overall have been women and children—even as Israel and the U.S. have insisted Israeli forces are targeting Hamas.
The International Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling in January saying Israel is "plausibly" committing genocide in Gaza, and lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have expressed support for the ruling—but the U.S. has dismissed the court's findings, including at Austin's hearing last week.
While Hajjaj held up her son at Wednesday's hearing, another protester, identified by CodePink as Helen, addressed the defense secretary.
"Secretary Austin, why are you denying Israel's genocide in Gaza? Why are you denying genocide in Gaza?" said Helen, who was arrested after being led out of the hearing. "The whole world sees it! You know the laws of war! You know you have blood on your hands! You have blood on your hands! We have blood on our hands."
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A lack of transparency is obscuring the true value of some of the largest military contracts to tech companies.
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The risk of conflicts of interest increases as military-dependent tech companies go public.
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About 4,000 Volkswagen workers in Tennessee are voting on whether to unionize with the United Auto Workers. Labor journalist @hamiltonnolan says it's the most important union vote in years and could be the "first domino" in a wider push to organize the auto industry in the South. pic.twitter.com/RWFnO5KznI
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) April 17, 2024
Chattanooga workers voiced confidence that this election will be different than 2014 and 2019, when Volkswagen employees voted against joining the UAW by narrow margins.
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