House Democrats on Thursday claimed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was put through a different vetting system before being tapped for the job.
Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Katie Porter of California, both members of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said Mr. DeJoy was not on the list of candidates initially vetted by a national search firm.
Instead, his name was put forward by John Barger, a member of the Postal Service’s Board of Governors.
“It would have been irregular for a member of the USPS Board of Governors, such as yourself, to recommend Mr. DeJoy without the consultation, research, or support of the contracted hiring firm Russell Reynolds Associates,” they wrote in a letter to Mr. Berger on Thursday.
The letter came the same day David Williams, a former Postal Service inspector general, alleged that the Trump administration was trying to politicize the mail agency. Mr. Williams resigned in April and said Wednesday that he did so because the Postal Service was no longer “independent.”
“By statute, the Treasury was made responsible for providing the Postal Service with a line of credit,” Mr. Williams said at a forum hosted by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “The Treasury was using that responsibility to make demands that I believed would turn the Postal Service into a political tool, ending its long history as an apolitical public infrastructure.”
He went on to claim that Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin was directly involved in the board’s activity and required GOP appointees to “kiss the ring” before they were confirmed.
In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Mr. Mnuchin denies having a major role in how Mr. DeJoy was picked for the role.
Mr. DeJoy has recently come under fire from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are concerned that his recent policy changes to the USPS are intended to undermine the Postal Service’s ability to function right before an election.
In response to the public backlash, Mr. DeJoy announced earlier this week he would be suspending these policy changes until after the election. He vowed that there will be no changes to retail hours at post offices, processing equipment and collection boxes will remain in place, and overtime will be approved for employees.
Though, his critics are still skeptical.
The postmaster general will have his first of two public meetings with lawmakers on Friday, in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
On Monday, he’ll testify in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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