U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies before a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing about slowdowns in postal services ahead of the November elections on Capitol Hill in Washington on August 24, 2020.
Tom Williams | Swimming pool | Reuters
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy faces a state investigation into campaign contributions from employees of his former company, a spokesman said Thursday.
“Mr DeJoy has learned that the Justice Department is investigating campaign contributions from employees who worked for him when he was in the private sector,” DeJoy spokesman Mark Corallo said in a statement. “He has always scrupulously adhered to the campaign fee laws and never knowingly violated them.”
The Washington Post first reported on the investigation being carried out by the FBI, a unit of the Justice Department.
In the past few weeks, agents have asked current and former employees about their political engagement, according to the newspaper, which cited several unnamed sources familiar with the matter. An unnamed person told the Post that prosecutors hit DeJoy himself with a subpoena for information.
DeJoy has faced allegations of pressuring employees of his former New Breed Logistics company to donate to Republican candidates for office, a practice that could potentially violate campaign funding laws. Employees said they were later compensated with lavish bonuses, the Post reported last September.
DeJoy, who was appointed Postmaster General by the Post’s Board of Governors in May 2020, has repeatedly denied the allegations and has not been charged with any criminal offense.
The FBI and Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The United States Postal Service declined to comment.
DeJoy intends to work with the Justice Department to clear the investigation, his spokesman said.
“Mr. DeJoy has worked fully with Congress in answering the questions he has asked about these matters,” said Corallo. “The same goes for the investigation by the Inspector General of the Post, who, after a thorough investigation, gave Mr. DeJoy an impeccable health certificate regarding his disclosure and disposal problems.”
DeJoy previously said that employees didn’t tell him they felt pressured to contribute. A spokesman, Monty Hagler, said last September that the company had received legal advice to ensure the company was staying within the boundaries of the law.
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