In a stunning move, House Democrats on Tuesday rejected a resolution put forth by Republicans demanding information on the U.S. Postal Service’s surveillance program that has reportedly been used to spy on conservatives.
This blatant disregard for the rights of American citizens is a clear indication of the Democrats’ true priorities.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service operates the Internet Covert Operations Program, or iCOP, which works to assess threats to the postal service’s infrastructure, employees, and customers by monitoring open source information.
However, reports have surfaced that iCOP has been sending out bulletins to law enforcement officials on the movement of protesters, including one that claimed to have information on militia groups that might be threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In response, an inspector general report was released last March, finding that iCOP’s actions “exceeded the Postal Inspection Service’s law enforcement authority.” This was followed by records obtained by the Cato Institute in September, indicating that iCOP had been used to track gun rights activists and conservative groups opposed to President Biden.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., proposed a resolution demanding all documents and information about iCOP’s alleged activities against conservatives.
However, Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee voted to unfavorably report Clyde’s resolution to the floor, effectively killing the request for more information. Republicans argued that iCOP is allowing the U.S. Postal Service to stray far from its mission.
Despite supporting the initial inspector general examination of iCOP, Democrats rejected the GOP push for more information, with Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney stating that the resolution was “unnecessary and misdirected.” This blatant hypocrisy from Democrats is a blatant attack on the First Amendment rights of American citizens.
As Republicans prepare to take control of the House in January, it is clear that aggressive oversight efforts against the Biden administration are necessary to protect the rights of American citizens.
The Democrats’ rejection of Clyde’s resolution is a clear indication of their willingness to trample on the rights of conservatives and must not be tolerated.
