Trump says he’s open to investigating DeJoy’s campaign fundraising

Washington — President Donald Trump on Monday expressed openness for an investigation into Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general he appointed, who is facing scrutiny after employees of his private company said they felt pressured to make donations to Republican candidates for which they were reimbursed.

In a Labor Day news conference, when asked whether he was open to an investigation into possible campaign finance violations by DeJoy, Trump said, “Sure, sure, let the investigations go.” And he also said DeJoy should lose his job “if something can be proven that he did something wrong.”

The president was responding to questions about a recent Washington Post report, which found that during DeJoy’s decade as chief executive of New Breed Logistics, employees said they were urged by DeJoy and his top aides to contribute to GOP candidates and then were reimbursed through bonuses — a practice that would be unlawful.

Trump, however, also offered tepid support of DeJoy, saying he did not know much about The Post’s story, and twice calling DeJoy “a very respected man.”

Since being appointed the head of the U.S. Postal Service, DeJoy has come under additional scrutiny for his cost-cutting measures that critics say are wreaking chaos and delays on the nation’s post offices, and prompting accusations of political bias — especially after Trump threatened to block USPS funding to limit its ability to process ballots for the November election.

In his wide-ranging, 45-minute news conference, Trump also weighed in on the progress of a coronavirus vaccine and his relationship with the nation’s military, which has recently come under renewed criticism after an Atlantic article detailing Trump’s denigration of the troops and military service generally. According to The Atlantic’s reporting, the president dismissed Americans who died in war as “losers” and “suckers.”

Trump said his administration will end the coronavirus pandemic through Operation Warp Speed, which seeks to produce a vaccine in record time, though his stated timeline clashes with those described by experts in his administration. The president said a vaccine could come “during the month of October,” the month before Election Day, which could have tremendous positive consequences for Trump’s reelection hopes.

“The vaccine will be very safe and very effective, and it’ll be delivered very soon,” Trump said. “You could have a very big surprise coming up.”