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A2 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 19 February 2025

Supervisor in D.C. federal prosecutors’ office told to resign after

dispute over investigation

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Cheung’s letter recapping
and ERIC TUCKER her dispute with Martin did
Associated Press not describe the nature
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top of the contract or which
supervisor in the federal agency was involved. A
prosecutors’ office in Wash- spokesperson for the U.S.
ington said she was forced attorney’s office declined
to resign following a dispute to comment, and a spokes-
with her boss over a direc- person for the Justice De-
tive that she scrutinize the partment said failing to fol-
awarding of a government low orders “is not an act of
contract during the Biden heroism.”
administration, according The conflict was the latest
to a letter reviewed by The to roil the Justice Depart-
Associated Press. ment and to result in the
Denise Cheung, a longtime resignation of a career of-
Justice Department official ficial who was unwilling to
who led the office’s criminal follow a Trump administra-
division, wrote in a resigna- tion mandate.
tion letter that interim U.S. Cheung did not explain
Attorney Ed Martin ordered the reason for her depar-
her to seek a freeze on as- The logo for the Justice Department is seen before a news conference at the Department of ture in an email to her col-
sets related to the contract Justice, Aug. 23, 2024, in Washington. leagues Tuesday morning,
and to issue grand jury sub- Associated Press but encouraged them
poenas despite her believ- for her resignation after counts because of a crimi- sue such a letter” to the to continue to fulfill their
ing there was an insufficient she resisted his demand to nal investigation. bank, telling Martin that the commitment to “pursu-
basis for doing so. tell a bank not to release Cheung said she “lacked “quantum of evidence did ing justice without fear or
Cheung said Martin asked any funds from certain ac- the legal authority to is- not support that action.” prejudice.”q
U.S. Postal Service head DeJoy to step down after 5 years marked

by pandemic, losses and cost cuts

Associated Press the American people DeJoy took the helm of the tics business before taking could particularly hurt rural
WASHINGTON (AP) — Louis through an unprecedent- postal service in the sum- office and was the first post- mail delivery.
DeJoy, the head of the ed pandemic and through mer of 2020 during Presi- master general in nearly DeJoy has disputed that
U.S. Postal Service, intends a period of high inflation dent Donald Trump’s first two decades who was not and told a U.S. House sub-
to step down, the federal and sensationalized poli- term. He was a Republican a career postal employee. committee during a con-
agency said Tuesday, after tics.” donor who owned a logis- DeJoy developed a 10- tentious September hear-
a nearly five-year tenure year plan to modernize op- ing that the Postal Service
marked by the coronavirus erations and stem losses. He had embarked on long-
pandemic, surges in mail-in previously said that postal overdue investments in
election ballots and efforts customers should get used “ratty” facilities and mak-
to stem losses through cost to “uncomfortable” rate ing other changes to cre-
and service cuts. hikes as the postal service ate “a Postal Service for the
In a Monday letter, Post- seeks to stabilize its financ- future” that delivered mail
master General DeJoy es and become more self- more quickly.
asked the Postal Service sufficient. DeJoy also oversaw the
Board of Governors to be- The plan calls for making postal service during two
gin looking for his succes- the mail delivery system presidential elections that
sor. more efficient and less saw spikes in mail-in ballots.
“As you know, I have costly by consolidating mail Ahead of the 2020 presi-
worked tirelessly to lead processing centers. Critics, dential election, a federal
the 640,000 men and wom- including members of Con- judge limited one of the
en of the Postal Service in gress from several states, postal service’s cost-cut-
accomplishing an extraor- Postmaster General of the United States Louis DeJoy speaks have said the first consoli- ting practices after finding
dinary transformation,” he during a news conference, Dec. 20, 2022, in Washington. dations slowed service and it contributed to delays in
wrote. “We have served Associated Press that further consolidations mail delivery.q