Officials: Pennsylvania postal worker admits making up allegations of ballot tampering


A postal worker in Erie, Pennsylvania, who claimed that a postmaster instructed workers to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day, has admitted to U.S. Postal Service investigators that he fabricated his story, three people with knowledge of the matter told The Washington Post on Tuesday.
Richard Hopkins signed an affidavit saying he heard the supervisor make the order, which was made public by the right-wing group Project Veritas. President Trump has refused to concede the election, claiming there was widespread voter fraud, and his campaign provided Hopkins' affidavit to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Graham then sent a letter to the Department of Justice and FBI regarding the allegations, demanding they launch an investigation.
The Post reports that Hopkins was first interviewed on Friday, and on Sunday, he told investigators he made the whole thing up and signed an affidavit recanting his story. The House Oversight Committee tweeted on Tuesday evening that Hopkins did not explain why he made up the allegations. In a Facebook post, Rob Weisenbach, the postmaster in Erie, said Hopkins' claims were "100 percent false" and "made by an employee that was recently disciplined multiple times. The Erie Post Office did not backdate any ballots."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?
The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'