Republicans in Congress are consistently refusing to take the ongoing crisis at the Postal Service seriously. The Trump-allied Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has implemented policy and operations changes at the Postal Service that have recently slowed down mail deliveries across the country, and with not long at all until the general election, when many mail-in ballots are expected to be used, that slowdown is even a bigger problem than it might be already. Yet, at a Monday House Oversight Committee hearing featuring DeJoy as a witness, prominent Trump ally Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) flipped out, accusing Democrats of perpetrating a “giant conspiracy,” although it’s basic reality that, right now, mail delivery across the country is slowing down.
Ohioans have been attacked as much by this postal interference as anyone. It violates Ohio law. The USPS wrote a letter to the Sec. of State saying there were problems.
Yet Jim Jordan says it's not happening.
Please, friends in Ohio and elsewhere. Support @ShannonFreshour https://t.co/n2cXH5Xv1w
— David Pepper (@DavidPepper) August 24, 2020
Undeterred by reality, Jordan ranted:
‘As the Wall Street Journal said, this is one giant conspiracy from the Democrats. I just want to know — what could be their reason? What could it be, Mr. DeJoy? We know it’s not based on the facts — what could it be?’
Jim Jordan started his comments by saying that Democratic primaries took weeks to determine a winner earlier this year and now he’s yammering that if there are delays in the fall that’s a crazy Democrat conspiracy to slow down results?
Does this make sense to anyone?
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) August 24, 2020
DeJoy seemed flustered when Jordan paused as if the Congressman wanted the Trump ally to actually answer his brazenly politically leading question. Before DeJoy said anything, Jordan — who was still yelling — continued:
‘Might it be politics? Might it be the election coming up? Might it be the fact that they want to actually wait and count votes after Election Day? Maybe they want to be counting votes six weeks after the election, the presidential election, the biggest election we’re gonna have — maybe they wanna be counting votes six weeks after, like they did in [New York Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s] race, or four weeks after like they did in New Jersey, or maybe they wanna wait forever like they did in the Democrat Iowa caucuses, might that be the reason? The chaos and confusion that we saw with all three of those elections — maybe that’s what they want? Could that be the reason, Mr. DeJoy?’
Jim Jordan substitutes the Oversight Committee's duty to oversee with his own determination to overlook facts & our Constitution. #DeJoyHearing https://t.co/q1uudVt2gs
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) August 24, 2020
DeJoy offered a hesitant half-answer, and then Jordan kept yelling. He said:
‘We all know what this is about. This is about these guys wanting chaos and confusion, because I think they know this, I think they know on Election Night, President Trump’s gonna win. They know on Election Day, [in] the vote count on Election Day, President Trump’s gonna win, and they wanna keep counting.’
Watch his comments below:
Here's Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) using his time to claim that this is all a "giant conspiracy from the Democrats."
34 mail sorting machines have been removed in his state. pic.twitter.com/1mIC7kMchx
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) August 24, 2020
Jim Jordan seems to be suggesting that if election authorities don’t get to a particular voter’s ballot promptly, then it should not be counted. That’s not how election integrity works! Elections aren’t a public relations game in which the “point” is to promptly declare a winner, but that’s exactly what Jordan seems to be suggesting.
Jim Jordan is ranting about how Democrats "want to keep counting votes" after Election Day, like that's a bad thing.
— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit) August 24, 2020
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) observed:
‘Jim Jordan goes there: suggesting ballots that are not counted “on election night” should not be counted at all. Jordan would deprive millions of Americans from voting. A wild and unhinged attack on our democratic elections — from the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee.’
Jordan’s rant seems to be a preview of challenges to election integrity that Trump and his Republican allies will continue to launch as the general election approaches.
Jim Jordan goes there: suggesting ballots that are not counted "on election night" should not be counted at all.
Jordan would deprive millions of Americans from voting.
A wild and unhinged attack on our democratic elections — from the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. https://t.co/0nbYHeY8dd
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) August 24, 2020