House to subpoena postmaster general over delays
WASHINGTON — The House Oversight Committee intends to subpoena Postmaster General Louis Dejoy for documents about disruptions in mail delivery operations that are now central to questions over the ability to handle an onslaught of mail-in ballots expected for the November election.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the committee chair, sent a memo Monday saying Dejoy blew last week’s deadline to fully respond to the committee’s request for more information. He has not provided any new materials, she said.
“It is clear that a subpoena has become necessary to further the Committee’s investigation and help inform potential legislative actions,” she said.
Democrats are aggressively pursuing oversight of postal operations after President Donald Trump railed against mail-in ballots.
Dejoy, who was tapped to lead the agency in June, started quickly initiating changes at a time when the agency was already straining under the COVID-19 crisis. Reports of delays soon piled up.
Dejoy, who testified before the panel last month, reiterated in a letter last Friday that the changes he was initiating are now being suspended “until after the election is concluded.”
Dejoy also said his staff was working with the committee to provide the materials being requested.
The top Republican on the Oversight panel, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, called the decision to subpoena Dejoy part of a pattern by Democrats “to promote a baseless conspiracy theory about the Postal Service.”
Comer called the subpoena “overly broad” and said Democrats should work with the Postal Service and Republicans “to address their concerns.”