Warner accuses postmaster general of 'Friday Night Massacre' with USPS reorganization

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Sen. Warner on USPS suspending mail changes, Senate's final report on Russian interference in 2016 election

Democrat Sen. Mark Warner, ranking member of the Senate Intelligence and Finance committees, joins 'Your World.'

Senate Intelligence Committee vice-chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., claimed on "Your World" Tuesday that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy had carried out a "Friday Night Massacre" with his recent reorganization of the United States Postal Service.

"The postmaster general came in the middle of June," Warner told host Neil Cavuto, "and starting about the beginning of July, I started hearing from Virginians that their medicines weren't being delivered on time through the mail, that they were -- if they would send in a bill, it wouldn't get paid [and] they'd get hit with a late fee ... There were weeks of delay, and this was not anything to do with the election, it just seemed like the mail service was grinding to a halt.

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"And then we see these photos of processing machines being taken out of [service in] states around the country," Warner added. "And then there was a sure indication 10 days ago, Neil, when the postmaster general on [a] Friday night announced a series of management changes. We all know you do something on Friday night when you want to try to keep it out of the press."

Earlier Tuesday, DeJoy announced that the planned operational changes would be suspended until after the November election to "avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail."

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Warner told Cavuto he was still suspicious of DeJoy, citing "the kind of Friday Night Massacre of changing over a lot of the established leadership, and then this slowdown in service in the midst of a pandemic.

"I'm glad he has reversed himself," Warner added. "But quite honestly, I don't think Americans - whether it's about voting or waiting on your medicine being delivered -- ought to rely on his good graces."

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The senator appeared to be referring to the "Saturday Night Massacre" of the Watergate scandal, when Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy, William Ruckelshaus resigned rather than follow President Richard Nixon's orders to dismiss Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox.

Elsewhere in the interview, Warner insisted that DeJoy was acting "clearly at the instigation of the president, who doesn't want mail-in voting, and I don't understand the difference between what the president says is mail-in voting and what he does himself, absentee voting in Florida."