It did not take long for a Pennsylvania United States Postal Service (USPS) whistleblower to break after making false allegations about mail-in ballot tampering. Oversight Committee investigators spoke to him twice bookending the weekend before he withdrew those allegations, according to the inspector general.
The Senate Oversight Committee released this tweet updating the situation:
‘BREAKING NEWS: Erie, Pa. #USPS whistleblower completely RECANTED his allegations of a supervisor tampering with mail-in ballots after being questioned by investigators, according to IG.’
GOP donors set up a GoFundMe campaign and contributed $136,000 to him. One woman who donated $50 said, according to The Washington Post:
‘I Donated Because I Know How Evil the Left Is.’
A far-right-wing propaganda generator specializing in conspiracy theories for Republicans to use against the Democrats called him “an American hero.” James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas made Hopkins an instant star.
Richard Hopkins had signed a sworn affidavit claiming postal supervisors had come up with a scheme to backdate ballots that were mailed after the election, which would have made a ballot invalid under normal circumstances. It read:
‘My name is Richard Hopkins and I currently work for the United States Postal Service in Erie, Pennsylvania and I am willing to testify under oath that 2020 Presidential Election ballots are being backdated to November 3rd by my supervisors.’
‘I made the difficult decision to risk everything in my life to come forward with this information of extreme wrongdoing by the Post Office. I am uncertain of what the future holds for me but I felt the public had a right to know what is really going on. Your donations are going to help me in the case I am wrongfully terminated from my job or I am forced into resigning due to ostrizization (sic) by my coworkers. It will help me get a new start in a place I feel safe and help me with child support until I am able to get settled and get a job. The Post Office has already been threatening my employment. I am scared for myself, my family, and those closest to me. Thank you James O’Keefe and Project Veritas for letting me tell my story when others wouldn’t. Please support me as I go forward with this battle.’
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called for an investigation into the situation after he obtained a copy of the affidavit from the Trump campaign, according to WBTW:
‘I will be calling on the Department of Justice to investigate these claims. I’ll also be in contact with the Postmaster General, requesting he to look into these allegations, ones that may follow, and help secure the testimony of Mr. Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins is entitled to all whistleblower protections, and I will ensure they extend to other postal workers who may come forward with claims of irregulates, misconduct, fraud, etc.’
Neither the committee nor the man explained why he had signed the false affidavit. At this time, there is no word on whether Hopkins will face perjury charges.
Twitter world came down hard on this situation. Take a look at what Americans had to say about it below:
Couldn’t take the heat. I hope he identifies who put him up to it. pic.twitter.com/Qz0dekXRNI
— ABF (@celllawmom) November 10, 2020
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
