Pennsylvania postal worker denies recanting ballot-tampering claims

Richard Hopkins says ‘I feel like I just got played’ by federal investigators.

By Valerie Richardson and S.A. Miller– The Washington Times – Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Hours after House Democrats announced that a Pennsylvania postal worker had recanted allegations of ballot tampering, the mail carrier denied it, saying that he stands by his original statement and that he “got played” by federal investigators.

Richard Hopkins, a mail carrier in Erie, Pennsylvania, said in videos released Tuesday by Project Veritas that he never intended to recant his claims of possible ballot fraud after being grilled by investigators from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

“I am right at this very moment looking at an article written by the Washington Post. It says that I fabricated the allegations of ballot tampering,” Mr. Hopkins said in a video posted on Twitter. “I am here to say that I did not recant my statements. That did not happen. That is not what happened.”

Project Veritas chief legal counsel Jered Ede accused the investigators of coercing Mr. Hopkins into signing an affidavit recanting his claims; failing to give him access to his attorney, and refusing to provide him with a copy of the signed document.

“It was coerced,” Mr. Ede told the Washington Times. “They forced him to execute this watered-down lukewarm affidavit. They did so during an interrogation where again they denied him the opportunity to be represented by counsel even though he confirmed with them that he had counsel.”

Unknown to the federal investigators, Mr. Hopkins was wearing a wire during the interview provided by Project Veritas based on his concerns about being harassed at work by supervisors or union officials.