Bipartisan lawmakers demand action after Raw Story mail crime investigation

As United States Postal Service letter carriers face increasing violence and assaults on the job, the police officers who could protect them have been sidelined by the government, a new Raw Story investigation revealed.

With letter carrier robberies skyrocketing by 543 percent between 2019 and 2022, the issue has spurred a bipartisan group of Congress members to introduce legislation aimed at providing more secure mailbox equipment and better protecting letter carriers.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who introduced the Protect our Letter Carriers Act last week, said Raw Story's investigation should urge Congress to turn the bill into law.

“The concerns highlighted in this story only increase the urgency needed in Congress to pass the bipartisan Protect our Letter Carriers Act," Fitzpatrick said in a statement to Raw Story. "The United States Postal Service must have the resources to update its outdated arrow keys and harden mailboxes. We must also increase the prosecution and lengthen sentences of individuals arrested for assaulting and robbing letter carriers. I will do whatever is necessary to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this crucial piece of legislation.”

A 2020 statute reinterpretation by the Postal Service curtailed uniformed postal police officers' ability to patrol the streets where mail crimes typically occur, restricting them to working on postal property such as post offices and distribution centers. Meanwhile, the number of postal police officers overall has shrunk from a high of more than 2,600 in the 1970s to about 450 officers today.

In a phone interview with Raw Story, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said mail theft is "rampant" in her district and is an issue she's heard about across the country from her colleagues. Postal police officers aren't currently "doing any good being confined to postal property," Norton said.

"The spike in mail crime only reinforces my notion that we need to have postal police go wherever the crime is," Norton said.

If postal police officers began patrolling the streets again, there would be "a better chance of restricting crimes for the Postal Service," said Norton, who is a co-sponsor of the House version of the Postal Police Reform Act alongside Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ).

Calvert himself lost nearly $10,000 in campaign cash last year because of mail theft, Raw Story first reported.

"I think the bill has a good chance of passing not only because of what we're experiencing in the district but because this issue is nationwide," Norton said.

There's a Senate version of the Postal Police Reform Act, as well, introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Susan Collins (R-ME), along with 10 other co-sponsors, including Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD).

“Postal carriers routinely deliver lifelines to Marylanders and others across the country. They should not be left vulnerable to dangerous situations that leave them and mail recipients in potential danger – from theft and the lost items," Cardin told Raw Story in a statement. "This is a growing problem that Congress should address, preferably in partnership with the USPS.”

Read Raw Story's full investigation: Letter carriers face bullets and beatings while postal service sidelines police

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Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) buried his Republican colleagues in mockery during a congressional hearing this week for parroting President Donald Trump's denials that his signature on the bawdy doodle in deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's birthday book was authentic.

In particular, Moskowitz called on House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) to put his money where his mouth is.

"So this morning, our close personal friend Mr. Comer said that he was not going to look into the letter, or the doodle, the president's doodle — he's a decent doodler, by the way," said Moskowitz. "So he wasn't going to look into whether this signature was a forgery, and I'm concerned about that. Because this is the president of the United States. If there are forgeries and forgers out there, I think we should investigate it."

"And in fact, this document is 22 years old. So you're telling me someone 22 years ago went back to the future and forged his signature when he was a Democrat, and somehow this person was Nostradamus, knew he would become a Republican, become president 22 years later?" asked Moskowitz, at which fellow lawmaker Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) suppressed laughter.

"So listen, I submit to you that we can solve this problem for the American people," said Moskowitz. "You don't have to take my word for it, you don't have to take our dear personal friend, Mr. Comer's word for it. Let's bring in a signature expert. You guys pick the witnesses. Bring in your signature expert, swear them under oath, and let's have the signature examined. Is it his or is it not his?"

"We don't have to play games or, you know, the president says it's not his, we say it's him," he added. "No, no, let's bring in a signature expert, a referee, because we can't agree on anything, even when it's right in our face, of whether that is indeed the president's signataure, or, if it's a forgery, we should immediately open up an investigation into this forgery."

Watch the video below or at the link here.

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GOP strategist Scott Jennings remembered the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday after Kirk was shot dead while speaking at an event on the Utah Valley University campus.

Kirk was shot in the neck from about 200 yards away, according to CNN. He was seated under a tent when the shot was fired. Police have not yet arrested the gunman, according to reports.

Jennings joined CNN's "The Arena" with Kasie Hunt to discuss the shooting.

"Charlie was one of the most unique and special people in the conservative movement today," Jennings said. "The organization he was able to build and the people he was able to organize were just so large and powerful. He was able to get people involved in politics that otherwise wouldn't have been."

Kirk, 31, was the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization with chapters across the U.S. Kirk would regularly draw thousands of people to his events.

"He inspired all these kids to be involved in their country," Jennings said. "Unequivocally a good legacy."

"It's been said that he had his finger on the pulse of the MAGA movement, but what's also true is that he was incredibly influential in that when an issue was emerging, something was happening and people were sorting out their own views on it...Charlie was one of the first people they turned to," he added.

"It wasn't that he was just reflecting people, he was leading people," Jennings continued.

Watch the entire clip below or by clicking here.

Republican lawmakers were responding to the apparent assassination of MAGA activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk on Wednesday in Utah.

Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University when he was shot after a question came up at the event about trans shooters.

Republicans responded, sharing statements via social media following news of his death.

"Charlie Kirk dedicated his life to fighting for the future of the United States. This unspeakable tragedy is a loss not only for the conservative movement but for our entire nation. Please join Beth and me in continuing to pray for his family. May he rest in peace," Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) wrote on X.

"My heart is broken for Charlie Kirk and my prayers are with his friends and family. Our country was founded on principles of free speech and open political discourse. Nothing justifies violence against any voice on the left or right of today’s debates," Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wrote on X.

"Charlie Kirk was an American patriot whose impact will never be forgotten. Nicole and I are praying for his wife Erika and his children during this time of unimaginable loss," Rep. Andy Harris, MD (R-MD) wrote on X.

"I am devastated to hear of the passing of Charlie Kirk. He was a bold voice for faith and freedom who loved God, his family, and his country fiercely. Minutes before his passing, he encouraged students at Utah Valley University to pursue a relationship with Christ. May God comfort his family and friends in the days and months to come," Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN) wrote on X.

"It is devastating to learn of Charlie Kirk’s passing. My prayers are with his entire family. The United States of America is no place for political violence. We must recommit ourselves to civility, compassion, and decency which unite all of us as a nation. The individual who committed this heinous, disgusting act must be brought to justice and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AK) wrote on X.

"This is a dark day in our nation’s history. Charlie was committed to free speech, respectful debate, and the American way. I hope you’ll join me in praying for his family and the thousands of young people who looked up to him for having the courage every day to simply speak. Today must also be a turning point, a concept Charlie literally dedicated his life to. No longer can we stand by as radicals continue to hold hostage the town square. We must stand for our values now more than ever, for Charlie and for the future of our great Republic," Rep. John Rose (R-TN) wrote on X.

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