By Raphael Satter
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A small group of demonstrators held a noisy protest outside the Washington condo of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy amid growing concerns that he is gutting the U.S. Postal Service to help President Donald Trump win reelection in November.
An unprecedented number of mail-in ballots are expected as many states have made it easier to vote by mail to address concerns about public gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.
But just as the Postal Service should be gearing up to deal with the deluge, DeJoy – a Trump donor who has invested in mail rivals – has pushed through cost-cutting measures that have led to widespread delays.
DeJoy has argued that the changes, including overtime curbs, are needed to return the Post Office to profitability. But demonstrators accused him of sabotage to please Trump, who is trailing in the polls and has claimed – without evidence – that his opponents will use postal voting to cheat him out of office.
Blowing vuvuzelas and banging pots and pans, about 75 people surrounded DeJoy’s upscale Washington condo and waved signs saying “Postmaster Saboteur,” “LET AMERICA VOTE” and “Deliver DeMail, Depose DeJoy.”
The door to DeJoy’s condo building was stuffed with mock mail-in ballots. One of DeJoy’s neighbors joined in the demonstration, waving from her window at the protesters below.
(Reporting by Raphael Satter; Editing by Richard Chang)
