Judge: USPS must turn over documents of Postmaster Louis DeJoy’s conflicts

A federal judge ruled last night that the US Postal Service must give Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington documents about potential conflicts of interest by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

Over the past seven years, the USPS has reportedly paid approximately $286 million to XPO Logistics, DeJoy’s ex-employer, and has “ramped up its business” with the company since DeJoy’s appointment as Postmaster General.

After his appointment, DeJoy continued to hold financial interests in XPO totaling between $30 and $75 million.

DeJoy also held a significant amount of stock in Amazon, a major USPS competitor.

Following the USPS’s failure to turn over documents relating to DeJoy’s potential conflicts of interest in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, CREW sued the agency.

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates granted CREW summary judgment in full and “order[ed] USPS to produce the recusal documents as well as any non-exempt portions of the certificate of divestiture documents in a timely manner.”

The judge cited a “strong public interest” in information relating to DeJoy’s potential conflicts, which have been the focus of intense scrutiny by Congress and the press.

“This is a big win not just for CREW, but for transparency advocates everywhere,” CREW Communications Director Jordan Libowitz said. “DeJoy’s decision making as postmaster general has raised some serious ethical questions–now we should finally get some answers.”