Postal Service board member who resigned over Trump's meddling to brief House Democrats

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday August 18, 2020 · 8:02 AM PDT

2020/08/18 · 08:02

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) speaks as House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) listens during a news conference on District of Columbia statehood June 25, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The House is scheduled to vote on the District of Columbia statehood bill tomorrow. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) — New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which will hold a hearing next week on recent changes at the Postal Service implemented by Trump postmaster general appointee Louis DeJoy.

As Democrats step up their scrutiny of Donald Trump's sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service, a former board member who resigned in protest of Trump's handling of the agency is set to privately brief House Democrats Thursday, according to NBC News.

David Williams, a former Postal Service inspector general, left the Postal Service board in April due to Trump's personal involvement with the independent board of governors and the selection of a new postmaster general.

Williams officially resigned just days before Trump tapped Louis DeJoy to become the new postmaster general. He is expected to provide insight into the process that led to the selection of DeJoy, a major GOP fundraiser and Trump campaign donor who has also earned millions from his stake in a company with ties to the Postal Service. Imagine that: Trump appointed someone with a direct financial conflict of interest.

DeJoy has implemented a series of new measures that have resulted in long mail delays and serious concerns about the agency's ability to handle a spike in mail balloting this election cycle as many voters seek the safest way to vote amid the pandemic. In particular, DeJoy has presided over policies like removing mailboxes and bulk sorting machines, policies that have kneecapped the agency's ability to process mail, particularly in high-volume areas such as urban centers. But the delivery slowdowns appear to have caused problems in both urban and rural areas of the country alike, with the Postal Service warning 46 states last month that it can't guarantee timely delivery of their mailed-in ballots.

“When David Williams resigned, I knew we were in serious trouble," Stephen Crawford, a former Postal Service board member under Barack Obama, told NBC News. Crawford said Williams "knew postal service in and out.”

Williams will be briefing Democrats in advance of DeJoy's appearance before the House Oversight Committee next week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called lawmakers back to Washington Saturday for an emergency session to vote on new legislation that will provide the agency with $25 billion in funding and reverse the changes DeJoy has implemented until next year.

Postal Service board member who resigned over Trump's meddling to brief House Democrats

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