While Postmaster General Louis DeJoy reversed course Tuesday on a number of operational changes at U.S. post offices, California Rep. John Garamendi, said the damage inflicted on the postal service is done.
"This man has done everything he could possibly do in his two and a half months in office to destroy the credibility, the efficiency, and effectiveness of the post office," Garamendi (D-Calif. 3rd District) told Cheddar.
DeJoy is set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and the Government Affairs Committee on Friday to respond to concerns about the potential for massive delays in the postal system ahead of the November presidential election. Last week, the USPS warned 46 states that voters there could be disenfranchised due to postal delays.
When asked whether DeJoy should resign, an idea pitched by fellow California Congressman Ro Khanna on Cheddar Monday, Garamendi said, "Certainly."
"He never should have been appointed," he continued. "The president had a plan way back in spring that he was going to disrupt the election in any way possible to keep Americans from voting."
As President Donald Trump continues to rail against widespread voting-by-mail, Garamendi alleged that the "destruction" of the postal service is one of the tactics the president is using to get re-elected.
"This is a pattern to reduce the number of people voting in America so that he can illegitimately win an election. It isn't going to happen," the congressman said.
While Garamendi emphasized the importance of being patient in the days, weeks, and even months following the election because "tens of millions of votes" will need to be counted, he expressed concern that Trump may not peacefully leave the White House in January if he loses in November.
"Every American must be concerned about the very future of our democracy," Garamendi said. "This president intends to be a dictator."
For Americans that are still skeptical of the mail-in voting process, Garamendi reassured voters that it is not new and is reliable.
"There is no reason, there's no evidence, there's absolutely no history of fraud in mail-in voting. It's been going on in California for decades," he said.
