US President Donald Trump has been facing accusations from Democrats for “sabotaging” mail-in balloting in the upcoming presidential election by his reluctance to fund the US Postal Service over his opposition to voting by mail, which, according to the president, could lead to election fraud.
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has called the US House of Representatives back from its vacation recess to return to session, also summoning the Postmaster General and the chairman of the Postal Service Board of Governors to testify before Congress.
According to a statement from Pelosi’s office, recent operational changes at the Postal Service “are slowing the mail and jeopardizing the integrity of the election”.
She called on the House chairman, Ron Johnson, to initiate a hearing with Trump’s newly-appointed Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy and USPS Board of Governors Chairman Mike Duncan “as soon as next week”.
Mail-In Balloting Sabotage?
Earlier in July, the USPS warned state election officials that difficulties could emerge in voting by mail, following sudden changes in delivery policies by DeJoy and financial troubles that the agency has been struggling with, partially exacerbated by the coronavirus-caused crisis.
This comes as Trump – who, alongside his wife, has voted by mail for years – admitted to holding up coronavirus relief aid to the country and to the Postal Service, expressing concerns that the money may be used to streamline mail-in balloting; something that he opposes, fearing it might cause “election fraud”.
Trump, however, expressed his readiness to fund the Postal Service if Democrats “gave us what we want”, without elaborating on specifics.
His move was seen as an attempt to sabotage mail-in balloting or as a “crime” that should be investigated, and Trump has met blistering criticism from Democrats, state election officials and many media figures.
Contrary to the desires and actions of POTUS, Democrats enthusiastically support mail-in voting, seeing it as a safer option for people to cast their vote in the upcoming presidential election amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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