One of the ‘bedrock’ incidents being touted by a number of Republican elected officials about vote fraud in Pennsylvania turns out to be a hoax, a story made up by a postal worker, a man who I am certain will be fired…but needs to do serious time in prison.
Richard Hopkins’s claim that a postmaster in Erie, Pa., instructed postal workers to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day was cited by Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) in a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal investigation. Attorney General William P. Barr subsequently authorized federal prosecutors to open probes into credible allegations of voting irregularities and fraud, a reversal of long-standing Justice Department policy.
But on Monday, Hopkins, 32, told investigators from the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General that the allegations were not true, and he signed an affidavit recanting his claims, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe an ongoing investigation.
But then it gets more interesting:
Hopkins did not respond to messages from The Washington Post seeking comment through his social media accounts, family members and phone messages earlier this week. But in a YouTube video he posted Tuesday night, he denied recanting. “I’m here to say I did not recant my statements. That did not happen,” he said.
emphasis mine
So we’ll see which way this shakes out but apparently the Inspector General’s office of USPS told Congress that the carrier had recanted. So I expect that AG Barr’s investigation will now pivot to investigating the carrier? Or will he defer to the post office IG as it should? In the meantime:
The Justice Department and Graham did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
emphasis mine
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