Government dog dogs, Democratic lawmakers and pro-democracy advocates declared it a “Friday Night Massacre “ for the U.S. Postal Service after news broke in a classic end-of-the-week dump that Louis DeJoy – a major GOP donor to President Donald Trump and the recently appointed Postmaster General – gave a comprehensive review of the agency, including the ouster of top executives from key positions and the reassignment of more than two dozen other officials and operations managers.
“Trump is actively sabotaging the elections under our noses – this is not theoretical, it is happening RIGHT.” —Brian Tyler Cohen, political commentator According to the Washington Post:
The shake-up came when Democrats in Congress called for an inquiry into DeJoy and the austerity measures that delayed postal delivery and polluted ballots in the recent primary election.
Twenty-three postal workers were reassigned or expelled, the new organization chart shows. Analysts say the structure centralizes power around DeJoy, a former executive logistics and key ally of President Trump, and de-stressing decades of institutional post-knowledge. All told, 33 staff members included in the old post-hierarchy retained their jobs or were reassigned in the restructuring, with five more staff members joining the leadership from other roles.
Already under fire for recent policy changes at the USPS that postal and non-domestic carriers have declared criticism as a sabotage attempt to broadly undermine the Postal Service, as well as efforts to disrupt post-vote for the November elections amid the Covid 19 pandemic, the movements unveiled last Friday were seen as an open attack on democracy and a calculated opportunity to increase Republicans’ long-held dream of supporting or privatizing the government postal service, while also maintaining their election prospects stimulate in the process.
“Another massage Friday by this administration – and this time dealt with another devastating blow to our postal service,” sei Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) “The American people deserve answers and we will continue to fight for them.”
Scanlon was among more than 80 congressmen who sent a letter to DeJoy earlier in the day who expressed “deep concern” about operational changes he has made to mail carriers that have delayed deliveries and lowered standards.
“It is important that the U.S. Postal Service does not reduce the delivery times of mail, which could reduce rural communities, seniors, small businesses, and millions of Americans who rely on mail for critical letters and parcels,” the letter said. “Eliminating and translating postal workers to leave mail on the floor of postal facilities will boost confidence in the Postal Service and drive customers away, leading to even worse financial conditions in the future.”
As Shared dreams reported earlier Friday, sen. Elizabeth Warren was among those who signed the letter and also called for an investigation into DeJoy’s efforts by the USPS Inspector General. Since 2016 alone, DeJoy has donated more than $ 2.5 million to the Republican Party and candidates. By 2020, prior to his appointment as Postmaster General by the GOP-controlled board of directors, DeJoy had already donated nearly $ 360,000 to a Super PAC that supports Trump’s reelection.
As de Peal notes in their reporting, showing top executives and executives – as well as hiring freedom and pushing for early retirement – “worried postal analysts, who say the tone of DeJoy’s first eight weeks and its restructuring are the postal service’s. nation has re-emerged as a for-profit arm of government, rather than an essential service. “
In a video posted on Twitter, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oreg.) Described DeJoy as a “political crony” of the president and also explained the intense efforts now being seen as a “Friday Night Massacre” scenario:
Apparently Friday afternoon on Capitol Hill, DeJoy dismissed accusations that he was acting as a political tasman for Trump. “While I certainly have a good relationship with the President of the United States, the idea that I would ever make decisions regarding the Post Office in the direction of the President or anyone else in the administration is completely off-base,” said DeJoy.
But outside critics such as Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of Government Ethics and a fierce critic of Trump’s behavior as president, said the latest move should be seen as nothing less than a direct effort by DeJoy to exploit his authority in the Post Office. to further the political interests and re-election perspective of the President.
According to Brian Tyler Cohen, a Liberal commentator and podcast host, “Congress Democrats need to do something about this right away.”
“If we wait until October / November, it will be too late,” sei Cohen. “Trump is actively sabotaging the elections under our noses – this is not theoretical, it is happening RIGHT.” Cohen said this situation should be treated as a “fucking fire-alarm fire” and said action should be taken by both lawmakers and the U.S. public without delay.
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), Chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing the USPS, said what DeJoy is trying to go through, because simple organizational restructuring is actually “a Trojan Horse” designed to be one of the nation’s most trusted and valued institutions from within.
Connolly on Friday night rôp it, “Deliberate sabotage to disrupt e-mail service on the eve of the election – an election that depends on e-mail messages.”
