A mail carrier from Pennsylvania said in a sworn affidavit that supervisors ordered him to collect and submit late ballots, which supervisors then backdated to appear as though they were mailed in time for Election Day.
Richard Hopkins from Erie, Pa., said he overheard a supervisor discussing a plan to backdate ballots, advising letter carriers to pick up ballots through Friday. Pennsylvania’s current rules require ballots to have been mailed by Election Day, but they could still be delivered to officials and counted through Friday, The Washington Times reported.
“Postmaster Rob Weisenbach directed my co-workers and I to pick up ballots after Election Day and provide them to him,” Mr. Hopkins said in an affidavit. “As discussed more fully below, I heard Weisenbach tell a supervisor at my office that Weisenbach was back-dating the postmarks on the ballots to make it appear as though the ballots had been collected on November 3, 2020 despite them in fact being collected on November 4 and possibly later.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, released the affidavit provided to the Trump campaign, vowing to thoroughly investigate any credible claims of voting irregularities and misconduct in order to ensure the integrity of the 2020 elections, adding that he wouldn’t allow them to be “swept under the rug.”
“Mr. Hopkins is entitled to all whistleblower protections, and I will ensure they extend to other postal workers who may come forward with claims of irregulates, misconduct, fraud, etc.,” Graham said in a statement.
Graham also alleged that the widespread use of mail-in voting made the post office the administrator of elections rather than local election officials, noting that the last-minute change calls for “further scrutiny” to safeguard the electoral process.
He also went after media outlets that called the election on Saturday with Democratic Joe Biden as the winner, saying only accurate vote counts can determine the next president.
“Every American should want our election processes to work accurately, and given the recency of such a large volume of mail-in voting, that will require oversight,” Graham said. “Election outcomes are not determined by media outlets but certified, accurate vote counts. Officials in Pennsylvania should take allegations from Mr. Hopkins and others seriously before certifying a final outcome.”
A postal services spokeswoman said the agency became aware of the claims Friday, adding, “They were immediately referred to the U.S. Postal Inspective Service and the Office of Inspector General, and the matter remains under investigation.
