Republican congressmember alleges 'antifa' was behind postal service delays

The U.S. Postal Service has become a surprisingly controversial subject over the past year, amounting to a testy hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday.

Last year, major Republican donor Louis DeJoy was appointed to lead the USPS board of governors and soon instituted cost-cutting measures that slashed the postal service's efficiency. That was especially problematic as COVID-19 safety measures reduced efficiency but increased demand at the USPS, and as more Americans voted by mail than ever before.

But as he often does when people he likes come before the House, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) used his time questioning DeJoy to call out Democrats who'd made him out to be "the worst guy on the planet" amid department delays. But Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who followed Jordan, wasn't standing for his "gaslighting," given that former President Donald Trump had been vilifying the USPS in the leadup to the election.

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Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) meanwhile suggested COVID-19 was not the main culprit for postal service delays last year, but rather "nationwide mayhem, destruction, rioting and looting conducted by Black Lives Matter and antifa activists." At least two post offices in Minneapolis were destroyed during last year's protests after the police killing of George Floyd, but there were no reports of that being a nationwide problem. Kathryn Krawczyk