As we learn more about Louis DeJoy and Steve Mnuchin the tawdrier this whole sordid affair looks.
According to David Williams, Mnuchin required members of the USPS Board of Governors to "come to his office to kiss the ring."
In his first public remarks since resigning from the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors in protest at the end of April, David Williams on Thursday offered a number of alarming new details surrounding the selection of Trump megadonor Louis DeJoy as postmaster general and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's efforts to exert influence over mail operations and finances.
Williams, the former vice chairman of the USPS Board of Governors with decades of federal government experience, testified to the Congressional Progressive Caucus that what he witnessed in his final months at the Postal Service was unprecedented, detailing how Mnuchin required members of the supposedly independent board to "come to his office to kiss the ring and receive his blessing before confirmation" and made "illegal" demands of officials.
Steve Mnuchin loved the idea of ripping out the big blue USPS mailboxes.
"The blue boxes were maybe the most interesting of all," said Williams, a Democrat who was appointed to the Board of Governors by President Donald Trump. "Those were not part of ongoing plans. To my knowledge, as a matter of fact... Secretary Mnuchin wanted that done. His study of the Postal Service asked that it be done."
Like Trump taking the SAT, Louis DeJoy needed to cheat to get through his Interview for Postmaster General.
Asked whether the board interviewed other qualified candidates for the postmaster general role, Williams answered in the affirmative and characterized DeJoy as uniquely unfit for the job, recounting that he had to be coached through his interviews. Williams said DeJoy's appointment was pushed by John Barger, a board member and Republican donor who—according to Williams—helped DeJoy "finish a number of sentences where he got stuck" and "explained to the board what Mr. DeJoy meant during the presentation."
Steve Mnuchin has a real talent for spotting the kind of corrupt hacks Trump can use to undermine institutions like the US Postal Service.
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I hope the House can expose this corruption for all to see.
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