>>> ONE OF DONALD TRUMPS FIRST
ACTIVE ASSAULTS ON OUR DEMOCRACY
BEGAN LAST SUMMER IN THE LEAD-UP
TO THE ELECTION.
REMEMBER, WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE PANDEMIC.
THERE WAS CONCERN ABOUT GOING TO
POLLING STATIONS TO VOTE AND SO
THERE WAS A FLURRY OF PEOPLE
TRYING TO VOTE BY MAIL.
AND MANY STATES TRYING TO MAKE
VOTING BY MAIL AS ACCESSIBLE AS
POSSIBLE.
NOW, THAT PROSPECT OF MAKING
VOTING EASIER DID NOT SET WELL
WITH DONALD TRUMPS
ADMINISTRATION, WHO RAILED
AGAINST MAIL VOTING EVERY CHANCE
THEY GOT.
AND SO, THAT ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY
APPEARED TO MANIFEST ITSELF IN
THE DISMANTLING OF THE WAY THAT
PEOPLE WOULD VOTE BY MAIL.
THE POST OFFICE DESTROYING THE
WAY THEY SENT THEIR BALLOT.
THEY WOULD GET AND SEND THEIR
BALLOTS.
THE GREAT MAIL SLOWDOWN OF 2020
WAS EXECUTED BY TRUMPS
POSTMASTER GENERAL, LOUIS DeJOY.
HE IS A WEALTHY BUSINESSMAN AND
PROLIFIC REPUBLICAN DONOR WHO
CONTRIBUTED OVER $1.5 MILLION TO
TRUMPS CAMPAIGNS IN 2016 AND
2020.
NOW, BEFORE HE WAS NAMED
POSTMASTER GENERAL, HE WAS NAMED
ONE OF THE THREE NATIONAL DEPUTY
FINANCE CHAIRMEN FOR THE
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE,
ALONG WITH, DRUM ROLL, MICHAEL
COHEN AND ELLIOT, BOTH OF WHOM,
HAVE SINCE PLEADED GUILTY TO
FEDERAL CHARGES.
AFTER TAKING OFFICE, IN JUNE,
DeJOY ENACTED A NUMBER OF NEW
POLICIES, INCLUDING ELIMINATING
OVERTIME FOR POSTAL WORKERS,
LIMITING NUMBER OF MAIL TRUCKS,
REMOVING SORTING MACHINES FROM
POSTAL FACILITIES INCLUDING IN
BATTLEGROUND STATES LIKE
PENNSYLVANIA, MICHIGAN, FLORIDA.
THEN, IN SEPTEMBER 2020, "THE
WASHINGTON POST" REPORTED AT HIS
PREVIOUS COMPANY, DeJOY HAD
URGED HIS EMPLOYEES TO WRITE
CHECKS TO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
AND ATTEND EXPENSIVE
FUNDRAISERS.
ONLY TO INFLATE THEIR BONUSES TO
MAKE UP FOR THE DONATIONS.
QUOTE, HE ASKED EMPLOYEES FOR
MONEY.
WE GAVE HIM THE MONEY, AND THEN
HE RECIPROCATED BY GIVING US BIG
BONUSES, SAID DAVID YOUNG,
DeJOYS LONGTIME DIRECTOR OF
HUMAN RESOURCES WHO HAD ACCESS
TO PAYROLL RECORDS.
IT WAS SOMETHING DeJOY WAS ASKED
ABOUT IN A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING
LAST AUGUST, BEFORE THAT POST
STORY BROKE.
>> DID YOU PAY BACK SEVERAL OF
YOUR TOP EXECUTIVES FOR
CONTRIBUTING TO TRUMPS CAMPAIGN
BY BONUSING OR REWARDING THEM?
>> THATS AN OUTRAGEOUS CLAIM,
SIR, AND I RESENT IT.
>> IM JUST ASKING A QUESTION.
>> THE ANSWER IS NO.
I AM FULLY AWARE OF -- I AM
FULLY AWARE OF LEGAL CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTIONS.
>> YOU NOTICE, HE IS BLINKING A
LOT, IN THAT LAST PART?
JUST SOMETHING THAT STRUCK ME.
>>> LAST SUMMER, LOUIS DeJOY
TESTIFIED UNDER OATH.
HE WAS FULLY AWARE HOW LEGAL
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS WORK.
NOW, TODAY, "THE WASHINGTON
POST" PUBLISHED ANOTHER SCOOP.
GUESS WHAT?
THE FBI IS INVESTIGATING LOUIS
DeJOY, IN CONNECTION WITH HIS
PAST-POLITICAL FUNDRAISING
ACCORDING TO THE REPORT AND I
QUOTE.
FBI AGENTS IN RECENT WEEKS,
INTERVIEWED CURRENT AND FORMER
EMPLOYEES OF DeJOY AND THE
BUSINESS.
PROSECUTORS ALSO ISSUED A
SUBPOENA TO DeJOY, HIMSELF, FOR
INFORMATION.
NOW, A SPOKESMAN FOR DeJOY SAID
MR. DeJOY HAS LEARNED THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS
INVESTIGATING CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY EMPLOYEES
WHO WORKED FOR HIM WHEN HE WAS
IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
HES ALWAYS BEEN SCRUPULOUS IN
HIS ADHERENCE TO CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTION LAWS AND HAS NEVER,
KNOWINGLY, VIOLATED THEM.
KNOWINGLY.
JACOB IS A BUSINESS REPORTER AT
"THE WASHINGTON POST" WHO BROKE
THE NEWS THE POSTMASTER
GENERALS INVESTIGATION TODAY
AND HE JOINS ME, NOW.
JACOB, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE
SCOPE OF THIS INVESTIGATION?
HOW LONG ITS ONGOING?
AND WHERE ITS AT?
>> WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT THESE
PEOPLE, THESE CURRENT AND FORMER
EMPLOYEES OF DeJOYS FORMER
COMPANY, HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED
IN THE PAST ABOUT TWO WEEKS TO
TEN DAYS.
AND THAT THE POSTMASTER
GENERALS PERSONAL SPOKESPERSON
CONFIRMED TO US, THIS MORNING,
THAT HE HAD BEEN PERSONALLY
CONTACTED BY THE FBI.
THAT TAKES THIS INVESTIGATION,
FROM COVERT.
SO KEEPING HIM UNDER WRAPS.
TO OVERT.
JUST ASKING PEOPLE, IN BROAD
DAYLIGHT.
AND THEN, THE FACT THAT THEY
HAVE SUBPOENAED THE POSTMASTER
GENERAL TELLS US JUST HOW FAR
ALONG THEY HAVE GOTTEN AND WHAT
THEY THINK THEY FOUND.
>> IT WAS STRIKING WHEN THE NEWS
BROKE TODAY, WE WENT BACK TO
LOOK AT THE AUGUST REPORTING AND
THAT JIM COOPER EXCHANGE.
I MEAN, THESE ALLEGATIONS
WERENT HIDING ANYWHERE.
THEY WERE PUBLISHED IN THE, YOU
KNOW, ONE OF THE TOP-TWO PAPERS
IN AMERICA.
AND APPARENTLY, NOTHING HAPPENED
UNTIL FAIRLY RECENTLY?
DO WE KNOW THE TIMELINE?
>> WE KNOW -- WELL, I MEAN,
LETS GO BACK A LITTLE BIT
FURTHER.
I MEAN, LOUIS DeJOY IS APPOINTED
THE POSTMASTER GENERAL IN MAY OF
2020.
AND IMMEDIATELY, LIKE ANY
JOURNALIST DOES, YOU START
MAKING CALLS TO FIND OUT WHAT
HIS PAST BUSINESS DEALINGS HAVE
BEEN LIKE.
MAYBE, THEYVE BEEN GREAT.
AND LITERALLY, IN THE FIRST TEN
MINUTES OF PHONE CALLS I WOULD
HAVE WITH FORMER EMPLOYEES.
THEY WOULD SAY [ INAUDIBLE ]
LOGISTICS.
WERE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THESE
FUNDRAISERS.
TO MAKE DONATIONS TO HIS FAVORED
CANDIDATES.
AND HE WOULD MAKE YOU WHOLE FOR
IT.
SO ITS NOT LIKE THESE
ALLEGATIONS HAVE BEEN -- ARE
NEW.
LETS PUT IT THAT WAY.
IN TERMS OF THE TIMELINE HERE,
WE THINK WE GO BACK TO AUGUST.
WHICH IS WHEN DeJOY TESTIFIES.
SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE STORY IN
"THE WASHINGTON POST" THAT I
HELPED REPORT BREAKS IN
SEPTEMBER.
AND THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE SAYS ITS GOING TO
LAUNCH ITS OWN INVESTIGATION.
AND TALKING TO SOURCES TODAY,
THAT DOESNT APPEAR TO HAVE GONE
VERY FAR.
THE FBI PICKING UP THE BATON,
NOW, IS SIGNIFICANT.
>> JUST TO BE CLEAR ON WHAT THE
LAW IS HERE.
I MEAN, THERE ARE LOTS OF
PLACES, SAY, WHITE-SHOE LAW
FIRMS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
THAT HAVE A CULTURE OF A LOT OF
POLITICAL GIVING, RIGHT?
THEY HAVE A LOT OF -- THEY WILL
EVEN HAVE EVENTS AT THE LAW FIRM
CONFERENCE OFFICE.
AND ITS SORT OF EXPECTED THAT
YOU ARE GIVING.
THATS FINE.
I MEAN, MAYBE NOT THE IDEAL WAY
TO RUN BUT ITS FINE LEGALLY.
WHAT YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT DO,
LIKE BRIGHT, BRIGHT, BRIGHT RED
LINE, IS REIMBURSE A PERSON AND
ESSENTIALLY USE THEM AS A FUNNEL
TO EXCEED THE CONTRIBUTION
LIMITS.
>> YEAH.
ITS WHATS CALLED A STRAW DONOR
SCHEME.
AND YOU KNOW THIS, CHRIS.
ITS THE CAMPAIGN FINANCE
EQUIVALENT OF ASKING YOUR OLDER
BROTHER TO GO TO THE LIQUOR
STORE FOR YOU TO BUY YOU A
SIX-PACK BECAUSE YOU CANT GET
IT.
AND THIS IS A COMMON THING THAT
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS LOOK
AT.
NOT JUST IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE.
BUT IN -- IN FIREARMS.
I MEAN, THE SCHEME IS A VERY
BASIC PART OF AN INVESTIGATION.
>> YEAH.
ITS -- ITS BASICALLY
CRIMINAL-CAMPAIGN FINANCE
VIOLATION 101.
LIKE, ON THE FIRST PAGE, IF YOU
WERE GIVING A BRIEFING ON
SOMEONE ON THINGS TO AVOID.
LIKE, GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO
DONATE AND REIMBURSING THEM
WOULD PROBABLY BE ON THE FIRST
PAGE.
>> YEAH.
THAT WOULD BE LIKE YOU SAID,
BRIGHT-RED UNDERLINED.
THESE ARE THE LEGAL LIMITS OF
WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT DONATE.
AND ALSO, PLEASE DONT CO-OPT
PEOPLE TO DONATE FOR YOU AND
THATS WHATS BEING INVESTIGATED
HERE.
>> AND WHATS STRIKING TO ME,
JUST TO PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER
HERE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS
A BRIGHT-RED-LINE THING.
AND WHAT YOU ARE TELLING ME AS A
REPORTER, YOU WOULD CALL PEOPLE
AT THIS COMPANY.
AND THEY WOULD BE TELLING YOU
THIS, VOLUNTEERING IT IN THE
FIRST-TEN MINUTES.
LIKE, ITS -- ITS THOSE TWO
THINGS ARE BOTH STRIKING BECAUSE
THIS IS -- THIS IS LIKE A
FLAGRANTLY LEGAL THING, IF TRUE.
>> YEAH, IT WAS STRIKING TO ME,
BACK THEN, AS WELL.
AND, YOU KNOW, JIM COOPER ASKED
THAT QUESTION IN THE AUGUST
HEARING.
THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT I HAD
BEEN REPORTING AND MY COLLEAGUES
HAVE BEEN REPORTING FOR MONTHS
BEFORE THAT ON END.
TO TRY TO NAIL THAT DOWN.
AND -- AND SO, YOU KNOW, THATS
WHY WE WERE SO ENTHUSIASTIC
ABOUT BEING ABLE TO DO OUR JOB
AND DO THE WORK THAT -- THAT