A postal worker who has made claims of alleged voter fraud in Pennsylvania is being questioned over the veracity of those assertions, which have been cited by Republican lawmakers as the basis for an investigation.
Richard Hopkins, a mail carrier from Erie, Pa., accused his boss of instructing employees to pick up and bring him ballots that were received after Election Day. Hopkins said he overheard his boss discussing backdating postmarks to make the ballots appear as though they had been collected by Nov. 3, instead of Nov. 4 or after.
In order for ballots to have been eligible in the state, they needed to be postmarked by Election Day.
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On Monday, Hopkins is said to have signed an affidavit recanting those claims, which appeared to be confirmed in a tweet by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.
The Washington Post, which cited three officials briefed on the investigation, also said Hopkins allegedly admitted to U.S. Postal Service investigators that claims of widespread voting irregularities were fabricated.
However, Project Veritas – the far-right activist group which aired Hopkins’ initial claims – posted a video to its Twitter page on Tuesday, which appeared to show Hopkins saying he did not recant his statements, along with the promise that more details would be released on Wednesday.
Project Veritas also released recordings that purportedly show an investigator attempting to convince Hopkins to change his narrative.
Project Veritas founded James O’Keefe said he would be “happy to go under oath” to back up the story and his reporting.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has asked the Justice Department and the FBI to initiate investigations.
Graham argued that the massive surge in mail-in voting had made the Postal Service’s role in the elections much larger than usual.
The confusion comes as President Trump questions the validity of mail-in voting in a number of key swing states, including Pennsylvania. The Trump campaign and Republican groups have already filed a flurry of lawsuits in the state.
Trump has also refused to publicly concede the election to President-Elect Joe Biden over unfounded claims that the election may have been rigged.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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