A Democrat on the House Oversight Committee suggested the possibility of arresting Postmaster General Louis DeJoy if he refuses to testify in front of his panel.
Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper talked to MSNBC on Monday about what might happen if DeJoy is subpoenaed and refuses to comply. At the time of the interview, DeJoy had only been invited to testify for an emergency oversight hearing on Aug. 24, along with Postal Service board of governors Chairman Robert Duncan, about dysfunction in the mail system ahead of a November election, which will lean heavily on mail-in voting.
“Well, if he doesn’t, we need to hold him in contempt,” Cooper said after being asked whether DeJoy accepted their request for his testimony. “This is outrageous behavior. He’s sabotaging the post office, and every American depends on good postal service.”
“The subpoena has to have real meaning. Subpoena means ‘under penalty,'” Cooper added. “And it’s useless if you allow them to get off scot-free. We have to be able to enforce that, and that may mean the possibility of arresting the postmaster general. He’s got to be accountable to the American people. We got to have good postal service.”
He also noted that “we have to take action,” given that DeJoy could fight a subpoena in court until after Election Day.
Later in the day, the House Oversight Committee announced that Dejoy agreed to testify voluntarily.
Two House Judiciary Committee Democrats, Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Ted Lieu of California, sent a letter to the FBI on Monday requesting the bureau investigate whether DeJoy or any member of the board of governors have committed crimes.
Since DeJoy took over as the postmaster general in June, he has moved to implement a slew of changes, including prohibiting overtime and curtailing late trips for mail carriers that ensure on-time delivery.
Democrats have accused President Trump and the postmaster general of working to prevent mail-in ballots from getting counted in November elections. Trump administration officials deny trying to sabotage the financially troubled Postal Service after negotiations for a coronavirus relief package that would funnel billions of dollars to the independent agency fell apart.
