A U.S. Postal Service worker in Erie, Pennsylvania, who has said he heard evidence of election tampering denies he recanted his statements after The Washington Post published a story saying he did.
“I am, right at this very moment, looking at an article written by The Washington Post that says that I fabricated the allegations of ballot tampering,” Richard Hopkins said in a video statement published Tuesday by Project Veritas with the title “I DID NOT RECANT.”
“I’m here to say that I did not recant my statements. That did not happen. That is not what happened.”
Hopkins told Project Veritas in a video interview last week that he had witnessed Erie Postmaster Robert Weisenbach and another supervisor talking about backdating ballots that were received late.
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Do you believe Richard Hopkins?
“Importantly, Weisenbach and his assistant had ordered my co-workers and I to continue picking up ballots after November 3, despite the requirement that ballots be mailed by then. Weisenbach directed that ballots be picked up through Friday, November 6, 2020,” Hopkins wrote in his signed affidavit.
“Moreover, Weisenbach directed that all ballots picked up through November 6, 2020 were to be given to him, presumably so they could be backdated by him and/or Locke.”
#ExposeUSPS pic.twitter.com/wdO8vUx2Vj
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 8, 2020
Weisenbach denied the allegations in a Facebook post, Go Erie reported.
“The allegations made against me and the Erie Post Office are 100% false made by an employee that was recently disciplined multiple times,” Weisenbach wrote.
“The Erie Post Office did not back date any ballots.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina cited Hopkins’ claims in a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal investigation of the post office, The Post reported.
Federal investigators interviewed Hopkins about his claims, and Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe released video footage with the caption, “Federal agents ‘coerce’ USPS whistleblower Hopkins to water down story.”
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“I am scaring you here”…” we have Senators involved…DOJ involved…reason they called me is to try to harness.” pic.twitter.com/tK2JPu6Wqm
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) November 11, 2020
However, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee tweeted Tuesday that the “whistleblower completely RECANTED his allegations” after he was questioned by investigators.
“IG investigators informed Committee staff today that they interviewed Hopkins on Friday, but that Hopkins RECANTED HIS ALLEGATIONS yesterday and did not explain why he signed a false affidavit,” they tweeted.
#USPS IG investigators informed Committee staff today that they interviewed Hopkins on Friday, but that Hopkins RECANTED HIS ALLEGATIONS yesterday and did not explain why he signed a false affidavit.
— Oversight Committee (@OversightDems) November 10, 2020
Several establishment news outlets quickly published stories that repeated the claim that Hopkins had recanted his allegations.
The Post’s report cited as sources “three officials briefed on the investigation” along with the House Oversight Committee Democrats’ tweet.
“I would like that The Washington Post recant their wonderful little article they decided to throw out there out at random,” Hopkins said in his video statement.
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