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WashPost: House Democrats probe Louis DeJoy GOP contributions claims

08 September 2020
 Dan Ackermann

House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said late Monday the panel will investigate allegations that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's former company reimbursed employees for donations to Republican campaigns, the Washington Post first reported.

Why it matters: Such action would violate campaign finance law if it had taken place at the Trump and GOP donor's former firm New Breed in North Carolina, as alleged.

  • Maloney said in a statement calling for DeJoy's "immediate suspension" that he "may have lied to her committee under oath," per WashPost.
  • She added that DeJoy faced "criminal exposure" if the allegations were proven and "also for lying to our committee under oath."

What they're saying: Monty Hagler, a spokesperson for DeJoy, said in a statement previously to the Washington Post Sunday, when it first reported the allegations, that DeJoy "was never notified" by employees at New Breed "of any pressure they might have felt to make a political contribution."

  • DeJoy "believes that he has always followed campaign fundraising laws and regulations," he added.

Of note: When asked on Monday about the allegations and whether there should be an investigation, President Trump said: "Sure."

  • Asked if DeJoy should lose his job if the allegations are proven to be true, Trump said: "Yeah, if something can be proven that he did something wrong, always."
  • Trump said he didn't "know too much about" the claims, stressing that DeJoy is a "very respected man" before adding: "I think he’s a very honest guy, but we’ll see."

Background: The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed DeJoy on Sept. 3 for records related to recent operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service and information about mail delivery delays.

  • DeJoy denied in a combative hearing before the committee on Aug. 24 that he was seeking to "sabotage" election mail, but would not commit to reversing changes.
  • Representatives for Maloney and the Postal Service did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.