According to sources familiar with the matter, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is under investigation by the FBI, reports The Washington Post.
The investigation pertains to campaign contributions DeJoy made, as well as his tenure at his former business called New Breed Logistics. Last year the Post published a report detailing allegations from employees there that DeJoy and his aides pressured them into attending political fundraisers and even make donations to Republican candidates. The workers were reportedly reimbursed for the contributions in the form of bonuses.
The arrangement may have violated federal and state elections laws.
In recent weeks, the FBI has sought information from former and current employees of DeJoy, and also issued a subpoena to the postmaster, the report said.
DeJoy has been a thorn in the side of Democrats since becoming postmaster general in June of 2020. Shortly thereafter, he introduced a series of cost-cutting measures to the postal service that resulted in slower delivery times. He temporarily reversed course on the measures after outcry from elected officials and civil rights groups, who said much of the country’s reliance on mail-in during the Covid-19 pandemic made the new policies unacceptable. As a result, DeJoy suspended those initiatives until after the election.
Democrats have repeatedly sought his ouster, but the position is not a presidential appointment. Rather, the postmaster general is elected by the postal service’s Board of Governors, who are appointed by the president. On Thursday, Rep. Bill Pascrell (R-NJ), who has been one of DeJoy’s most vocal critics, wrote a letter to the board’s three newest members requesting they convene to remove the postmaster immediately.
However, the board’s chairman, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, gave DeJoy a ringing endorsement, calling him “the proper man for the job.”
A statement from Dejoy’s spokesman acknowledged the inquiry. “Mr. DeJoy has learned that the Department of Justice is investigating campaign contributions made by employees who worked for him when he was in the private sector,” said Mark Corallo. “He has always been scrupulous in his adherence to the campaign contribution laws and has never knowingly violated them.”
In February DeJoy, who as postmaster general has no fixed term of office, told Congress he would not step down. “Get used to me,” he said.
