U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies before a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on slowdowns at the Postal Service ahead of the November elections on Capitol Hill in Washington, August 24, 2020.
Tom Williams | Pool | Reuters
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is facing a federal investigation over campaign contributions made by employees of his former business, a spokesman said Thursday.
“Mr. DeJoy has learned that the Department of Justice is investigating campaign contributions made by employees who worked for him when he was in the private sector,” DeJoy spokesman Mark Corallo said in a statement. “He has always been scrupulous in his adherence to the campaign contribution laws and has never knowingly violated them.”
The Washington Post first reported on the investigation, which is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a unit of the Department of Justice.
According to the newspaper, which cited multiple unnamed sources familiar with the matter, agents have in recent weeks been asking current and former employees about their political giving. One unnamed person told the Post that prosecutors hit DeJoy himself with a subpoena for information.
DeJoy has faced accusations that he pressured employees at his former business, New Breed Logistics, to donate to Republican candidates for office, a practice that could potentially violate campaign finance laws. DeJoy has repeatedly denied the allegations and has not been charged with any crime.
The FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The United States Postal Service declined to comment.
DeJoy intends to cooperate with the Justice Department to resolve its investigation, his spokesman said.
“Mr. DeJoy fully cooperated with and answered the questions posed by Congress regarding these matters,” Corallo said. “The same is true of the Postal Service Inspector General’s inquiry which after a thorough investigation gave Mr. DeJoy a clean bill of health on his disclosure and divestment issues.”
The news of the investigation follows a September report in The Washington Post that detailed allegations from employees of New Breed Logistics, in which the employees claimed that DeJoy pressured them to donate to GOP candidates. The employees said that they were later compensated with lavish bonuses.
DeJoy said at the time that employees did not tell him they felt pressured to make contributions. A spokesperson, Monty Hagler, said then that the company had received legal guidance ensuring that the company stayed within the bounds of the law.
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