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The Department of Justice is investigating Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in connection to past political campaign activity when he was CEO of a private logistics company and major Republican donor, DeJoy's spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
"Mr. DeJoy has learned that the Department of Justice is investigating campaign contributions made by employees who worked for him when he was in the private sector," Mark Corallo, a spokesman for DeJoy, told Fox News in a statement.
Corallo said DeJoy has never knowingly violated campaign finance laws and is cooperating with federal officials to resolve the matter.
"He has always been scrupulous in his adherence to the campaign contribution laws and has never knowingly violated them," Corallo said. "Mr. DeJoy fully cooperated with and answered the questions posed by Congress regarding these matters. The same is true of the Postal Service Inspector General’s inquiry which after a thorough investigation gave Mr. DeJoy a clean bill of health on his disclosure and divestment issues. He expects nothing less in this latest matter and he intends to work with DOJ toward swiftly resolving it."
LOUIS DEJOY: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE POSTMASTER GENERAL
The Washington Post first reported the FBI probe on Thursday.
DeJoy was appointed to the postmaster general role in May 2020 during the Trump administration. He's been in the hot seat since for his past prolific GOP fundraising and leadership at USPS where he faced a slew of criticism over mail delays, plans to slash overtime and raise prices.
The Washington Post previously reported that while DeJoy was CEO of New Breed Logistics, he or his aides pressured employees to write checks and attend GOP fundraisers at his mansion, five people who worked for New Breed told the paper for a September 2020 article. DeJoy, a megadonor for the Republican Party, would reimburse the employees through bonuses, an arrangement that is unlawful, the paper reported. In all, the Post found that between 2000 and 2014, 124 individuals who worked for the company together gave more than $1 million to federal and state GOP candidates.
During a congressional hearing last year, DeJoy denied pressuring his employees to donate to Trump.
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"Did you pay back several of your top executives for contributing to Trump’s campaign by bonusing or rewarding them?" Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., asked DeJoy at the time.
"That’s an outrageous claim, sir, and I resent it," DeJoy said, noting he wasn't working at his company during the Trump campaign. "The answer is no."
United States Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy speaks during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on "Legislative Proposals to Put the Postal Service on Sustainable Financial Footing" on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)
DeJoy and his spokespeople have repeatedly said DeJoy complied with campaign finance laws while at the helm of New Breed.
Monty Hagler, a spokesman for DeJoy in his private capacity, told Fox News in September that DeJoy consistently encouraged employees and family members to be active in their communities and provided them with various volunteer opportunities to get involved in activities. Hagler said DeJoy "regrets if any employee felt uncomfortable for any reason."
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"During his leadership of New Breed Logistics, Mr. DeJoy sought and received legal advice from the former General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission on election laws, including the law of political contributions, to ensure that he, New Breed Logistics and any person affiliated with New Breed fully complied with any and all laws," Hagler said at the time. "Mr. DeJoy believes that all campaign fundraising laws and regulations should be complied with in all respects."
USPS had no comment Thursday about the FBI probe into the postmaster general.
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