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steve2470

(37,457 posts)
Fri Aug 14, 2020, 07:30 PM Aug 2020

Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. criminal referral to the New Jersey A.G. about Trump, DeJoy and the USPS [View all]

Inbox: Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. has made a criminal referral to the New Jersey A.G. seeking the empaneling of a state grand jury "to look at electoral subversion" by Trump, Postmaster General DeJoy, and other possible Trump officials "in their accelerating arson of the USPS."





https://pascrell.house.gov/

https://pascrell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4428

Pascrell Makes Criminal Referral of Trump, DeJoy for Election Subversion

Letter to New Jersey AG seeks grand jury for postal service sabotage in violation of state election laws


U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) tonight made a criminal referral to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal seeking the empaneling of a state grand jury to look at electoral subversion by Donald Trump, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and other possible Trump administration officials in their accelerating arson of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Earlier today, Governor Phil Murphy issued an executive order that will make the state’s November General Election conducted mostly by mail ballot.

“I call upon you to open a wide-ranging investigation of Trump’s actions to interfere in our elections and to empanel a grand jury for the purpose of considering criminal indictments for Donald Trump, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, members of the United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors, and any other officials in the Trump government that are participating in or have participated in the subversion of New Jersey state elections,” Rep. Pascrell writes New Jersey’s chief law enforcement officer.

In a live televised interview on August 13, 2020, Donald Trump bragged that he is withholding support to the U.S. Postal Service to interfere with voting-by-mail across the country to rig the November 2020 election in his favor. Trump’s open admission confirms recent reporting of widespread delays to Americans’ mail and package delivery and the deliberate sabotage of USPS functions and operations at the behest of administration orders.

“American democracy is today in question. What we do today can make a difference in our future. Please act decisively,” Pascrell concludes.

Since this crisis began, Rep. Pascrell has been aggressively demanding accountability. On May 21, Pascrell wrote to USPS Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb demanding an investigation of turmoil at the USPS, purportedly stemming from a pattern of interference engineered by the Trump administration in its efforts to destabilize the post office. On August 12, Pascrell again called on IG Whitcomb to probe postal turmoil. After soliciting responses from constituents, this week Rep. Pascrell released a slate of stories from North Jersey residents in the Ninth District describing the impact of Trump and Republicans’ vicious vandalism against USPS.

Pascrell has been a leader in Congress demanding reform to return the USPS to its former glory and strengthen it so it remains an integral part of American life, goals he outlined in a well-received April 2019 essay in Washington Monthly. Pascrell is a cosponsor of H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act that would finally remove the health care prefunding anchor that has been strangling USPS since 2007. Pascrell is also a strong supporter of widespread postal banking, and in June 2019 his bipartisan amendment allocating $1 million to begin funding a postal banking system was passed by the House of Representatives.

Rep. Pascrell’s letter to AG Grewal is available here, the text of which is provided below.
August 14, 2020



The Honorable Gurbir S. Grewal

New Jersey Attorney General
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
25 Market Street, Box 080
Trenton, NJ 08625-0080





Dear Attorney General Grewal:



Your office has done much to ensure that elections in our state are carried out during this pandemic. However, these efforts are being undermined by Donald Trump’s attempts to interfere in our state and across the nation. Therefore, I call upon you to open a wide-ranging investigation of Trump’s actions to interfere in our elections and to empanel a grand jury for the purpose of considering criminal indictments for Donald Trump, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, members of the United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors, and any other officials in the Trump government that are participating in or have participated in the subversion of New Jersey state elections.



In a live televised interview on August 13, 2020, Donald Trump bragged that he is withholding support to the U.S. Postal Service to interfere with voting-by-mail across the country to rig the November 2020 election in his favor. Trump’s open admission confirms recent reporting of widespread delays to Americans’ mail and package delivery and the deliberate sabotage of USPS functions and operations at the behest of administration orders. This includes the removal of hundreds of mail sorting machines from postal facilities across the country (with some being thrown into dumpsters)[ii] and orders from Postmaster DeJoy to deliberately slow mail service.[iii] In addition, he has suggested that states must pay first class postage for mail-in ballots, in contrast to the long-established practice of charging the marketing rate (20 cents). After soliciting responses from my own constituents in the Ninth District, I can attest that our neighbors are facing habitually slower mail delivery across North Jersey communities.[iv] Even though it is unclear if the turmoil at USPS is impacting New Jersey less or more than other states, the Washington Post suggests delays in New Jersey are acute and our citizens are being hurt.[v]



Because movement of our mail crosses channels of interstate commerce, obstruction of the mails generally is subject to federal jurisdiction.[vi] Nevertheless, interference in voting-by-mail and state elections is amply covered by New Jersey state law. This includes Title 19:34-20, Soliciting or procuring or assisting unlawful registration of other violations of election law;[vii] Title 19:34-29, Obstructing or interfering with voter;[viii] Title 19:34-35, Interference with conduct of election;[ix] Title 19:53A-15, Tampering with or willfully injuring record or equipment or interference with conduct of election; penalty;[x] application of laws; and Title 19:63-28, Violations, third degree crime; penalties.[xi] The deliberate interference with state elections by the Trump administration and its adjutants may run afoul of these and perhaps other state criminal statutes designed to protect the integrity of the electoral process.



As you know, Governor Murphy has announced that New Jersey will conduct its November 2020 general election voting almost entirely by mail, following our all-mail primary elections of July 7. Only 81 days remain before the general election this fall and voting will commence much sooner in a matter of weeks. We do not have much time to prepare and our state, like others, will rely absolutely on the USPS’s efficiency. Amid this ongoing pandemic, the USPS will be the electoral heart and engine of New Jersey’s and America’s electoral machinery.



Consequently, all of us must do whatever we can right now to protect the integrity of our elections. I implore you to open an immediate investigation into whether the Trump administration’s attacks on the U.S. Postal Service violate New Jersey state laws against electoral subversion, and if so, pursue criminal and civil charges against Donald Trump, Louis DeJoy, and any other high-ranking officials involved.



American democracy is today in question. What we do today can make a difference in our future. Please act decisively.



Sincerely,





Bill Pascrell, Jr.

Member of Congress

32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
YEAH!!!!!! CatWoman Aug 2020 #1
Impeach him again! SheltieLover Aug 2020 #2
Yep, for conspiracy to interfere with the election. LisaL Aug 2020 #7
Absolutely! SheltieLover Aug 2020 #9
No. This won't work. Eyeball_Kid Aug 2020 #21
Now we are getting some push back... Thomas Hurt Aug 2020 #3
K; R CatWoman Aug 2020 #4
A Representative from EVERY SINGLE STATE should be doing this same thing until mr_lebowski Aug 2020 #5
agreed !!! nt steve2470 Aug 2020 #6
Yep. I better get on the phone to my rep. triron Aug 2020 #8
Absolutely SheltieLover Aug 2020 #10
EVERY STATE! madashelltoo Aug 2020 #15
There are states' AGs & Secretaries of State working on it. MSNBC has had this on every show onetexan Aug 2020 #19
If he doesn't come in when issued a subpoena tinymontgomery Aug 2020 #23
The Congressman's initiative shows how we're going to have to think OUTSIDE THE BOX bucolic_frolic Aug 2020 #30
It was genius ... now a rep in every state should follow suit ... mr_lebowski Aug 2020 #31
ooh...thank you. stillcool Aug 2020 #11
How about invoking the 25th Amendment? Call for a vote. nt 42bambi Aug 2020 #12
The Cabinet secretaries. Will not vote to 25/4 his ass. Grifting cowards all. niyad Aug 2020 #22
Yes, Yes, Yes, yes, and YES! bucolic_frolic Aug 2020 #13
NOW we're talking. calimary Aug 2020 #14
He loves to go to the courts to terrorize lsewpershad Aug 2020 #16
You can say that again! Mossfern Aug 2020 #24
He loves to go to the courts to terrorize lsewpershad Aug 2020 #17
... FailureToCommunicate Aug 2020 #26
K&R!! onetexan Aug 2020 #18
More aggression & push back @ this administration! Excellent! Illumination Aug 2020 #20
K&R gademocrat7 Aug 2020 #25
Kick orangecrush Aug 2020 #27
When I look at DeJoy, who is an American Fascist, i see that he is NCjack Aug 2020 #28
To me this is the boldest action undertaken by a Congressman in memory bucolic_frolic Aug 2020 #29
This is super Hopeful.. Retweeted! Mahalo, Rep Bill Pascrell, Jr! Cha Aug 2020 #32
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