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Who is Richard Hopkins? USPS whistleblower denies recanting as GoFundMe page with over $136,000 gets suspended

In a video, which was shared by Project Veritas’ James O'Keefe, Hopkins denied recanting saying: 'I’m here to say I did not recant my statements. That did not happen'

A Pennsylvania postal worker, who had come forward with allegations of voting irregularities, admitted to US Postal Service investigators that he fabricated the allegations, according to three officials instructed on the investigation and a statement from a House congressional committee, The Washington Post reports.

These allegations had been cited by top Republicans as potential evidence of widespread voting irregularities, stated The Washington Post. Richard Hopkins’s claim that a postmaster in Erie, Pa, instructed postal workers to backdate ballots mailed after election day was cited by Senator Lindsey Graham in a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal investigation. The report states, Attorney General William Barr later authorized federal prosecutors to open investigations into credible allegations of voting irregularities and fraud, a reversal of long-standing Justice Department policy.

On Monday, November 9, the 32-year-old Hopkins told investigators from the US Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General that the allegations were not true. According to officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Hopkins signed an affidavit recanting his claims.

Hopkins did not respond to messages from The Washington Post seeking comment. But in a video, which was shared by Project Veritas’ James O'Keefe, he denied recanting. “I’m here to say I did not recant my statements. That did not happen,” he said.  James tweeted the video and wrote: “USPS Whistleblower Richard Hopkins: “I DID NOT RECANT”@shawnboburg and @jacobbogage have been played by the same federal agents on the audio ‘coercing,’ ‘scaring’ the whistleblower to water down allegations.  As reporters, they are REQUIRED to include Richard’s denial. REQUIRED.” Even Donald Trump quote tweeted James’ post and wrote: “A brave patriot. More & more people are stepping forward to expose this Rigged Election!”

Republicans held up Hopkins’s claims as being credible because he signed an affidavit swearing that he overheard a supervisor instructing colleagues to backdate ballots mailed after November 3. The Trump campaign provided that affidavit to Graham who in turn requested the Justice Department and FBI to launch an investigation.

According to news outlet GoErie.com, the Erie postmaster, Rob Weisenbach, said the allegations were “100% false” in a Facebook post and added that they had been made “by an employee that was recently disciplined multiple times”. “The Erie Post Office did not back date any ballots,” Weisenbach wrote. Hopkins’s allegations, without his name, were first aired last week by Project Veritas, reports The Washington Post. But later he attached his names to the allegations. According to the report, a GoFundMe page created under Hopkins’s name had raised more than $136,000 by Tuesday, November 10, evening, but the fundraising page was removed after The Washington Post’s story was published, a spokesman for the platform said. When MEAWW clicked on the link, it showed "campaign not found".

The House Oversight Committee tweeted about it. They, in a series of tweets, said, “BREAKING NEWS: Erie, Pa. #USPS whistleblower completely RECANTED his allegations of a supervisor tampering with mail-in ballots after being questioned by investigators, according to IG.” They also said, “Here are the facts: Richard Hopkins is a USPS employee in Erie, Pa. He signed a sworn affidavit with allegations of ballot tampering/fraud and went public through Project Veritas. #USPS IG began investigating last week.” And they added, “#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.”

Twitter was also discussing this incident. One said, “Richard Hopkins recanted his election fraud accusations and lost his GoFundMe.” An angry user wrote: “Nothing in this election cycle has outraged me as much as the fundraising page for Richard Hopkins.The postal “whistleblower” who lied.Who the hell accepted this page to facilitate rewarding a partisan criminal?What kind of American donates to this?What kind of company hosts it?” Another said, “@gofundme, Good job taking down the campaign for faux hero Richard Hopkins. You should refund these poor, naive donors their coins. Third viral campaign like this...You all have to do a better job monitoring current events and use of your platform to mask payoffs as donations.” A user commented, “Yet another Project Veritas claim turns out to be completely bogus.”

These remarks were made by the Internet and individual organizations, MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and nor does it support these claims being made on the Internet.