A new report claims that the Postal Service inspected protests in 2020-2021, and specifically those that were pro-gun or against President Joe Biden.
According to the Washington Times, the report cites redacted documents that Patrick Eddington, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute, obtained from September 2020 through April 2021. These documents allegedly show postal inspectors following protests at various locations in the country from September 2020 through April 2021.
According to reports, the service monitored protests using its social media surveillance program, The Internet Covert Operations Program.
This document contains the bulletins that were posted with intelligence from the program. It warns of protests and keeps track of any plans to protest.
Bulletins note several planned and actual protests. They also warn about the January 2021 shutdown of Parler, warning that it will “very likely hinder efforts to plan a coordinated demonstration” like the Jan. 6 events. Bulletins also mention events that were posted to a “conservative forums” or other areas of the internet.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Postal Service in order to get their comments.
“The U.S. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service periodically reviews publicly available information to assess potential safety and security threats to Postal Service employees facilities, operations, and infrastructure,” said the service in a statement to The Washington Times.
After a 2021 report that said the surveillance program tracked social media posts, the surveillance program was first discovered.
