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Whoops: Democrat Senator Caught on Hot Mic Berating Staffer For Technical Difficulties

Ellie Bufkin
Ellie Bufkin  |  August 21, 2020 11:15 AM

(Warning: Graphic language)

Democrat Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware got caught in an embarrassing and alarming moment during the Friday morning Senate Governmental Affairs Committee hearing with U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

Because of the ongoing concern over the Wuhan coronavirus, the hearing, like nearly all congressional "meetings" was held virtually. Just as Carper was about to begin his line of questioning, the senator seemed to be having trouble unmuting himself for the video conference call.

Unbeknownst to him, however, he had successfully unmuted himself and his subsequent outburst was audible to everyone tuned into the hearing over a mail-in ballot conspiracy being floated by congressional Democrats. 

Facing away from the web camera and calling to an offsite member of his staff, a frustrated Carper shouted three f-bombs until a nervous-looking man briefly appeared on screen to assist him.

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Democrats and Republicans traded barbs throughout the morning hearing about how best to move forward with the USPS, a government agency that has bled billions of dollars per year as physical mail requirements steadily decline. 

Some Republican senators offered ideas about lowering staffing levels or decreasing the frequency of mail delivery in rural areas with minimal need for mail service. Democrats, however, were hell-bent on proving that DeJoy was operating as a Trump surrogate who was planning to sabotage his own agency to deliver election victory to the president. Their evidence was unsurprisingly lacking.

Earlier this year, the USPS began removing underused public mailboxes in an effort to decrease the number of pickups for mail carriers. After many photos of boxes being removed made the rounds on resistance Twitter as evidence of an inexplicable conspiracy to sabotage Democrat votes, DeJoy announced he would suspend reform efforts until after Election Day in November. 

Carper's outburst echoes the short temper of his fellow Delawarean Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden. Although Biden was hoisted as a gentile and even-tempered hero by the party over the four days of the Democratic National Convention, the 77-year-old has a substantial history of blowing his fuse when confronted by voters or the press. 

Some condemned Carper for his expletive-filled outburst on Friday, but others found it comical. Others pointed out that Carper's issues with controlling his temper were well known, citing an incident many years ago in which he slapped his first wife in the face so hard she got a black eye. 

A spokesperson for Sen. Carper later confirmed that the 20-year senator lost his temper because of frustrations with technology. Carper's anger at his computer, however, was nothing compared to his outrage over the mail-fraud conspiracy theory, the spokesperson said.