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SOLEDAD: MORE AMERICANS THAN EVER ARE EXPECTED TO VOTE VIA MAIL BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK. SOME STATES CHANGED VOTING LAWS TO EXPAND ABSENTEE AND MAIL-IN VOTING OPTIONS, PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE U.S. POST OFFICE TO DELIVER. LITERALLY. ALL WHILE IT'S BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DEBT. AND UNDER ATTACK FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO SAID HE DIDN'T WANT TO HELP FUND THE AGENCY BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT THE MONEY USED FOR MAIL-IN VOTING. THE POSTMASTER GENERAL LOUIS DEJOY IMPLEMENTED CUTS TO SAVE MONEY HE SAID AND WE SAW MAIL PILE UP ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 20 STATES THREATENED TO SUE. NOW DEJOY SAYS HE'LL SUSPEND CHANGES UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION. BUT HAS THE DAMAGE ALREADY BEEN DONE? TREVOR POTTER IS A REPUBLICAN, SERVED AS GENERAL COUNSEL TO SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN'S 2000 AND 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS. TREVOR POTTER, NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH ME. SO MANY QUESTIONS. LET'S BEGIN WITH THESE 17 LAWSUITS BY THE G.O.P. CO-FUNDED BY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, AND THEY'RE TAKING ON STATES WHO ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT EASIER TO VOTE OR EXPAND ACCESS TO VOTING. SO TO ME, THAT SOUNDS LIKE VOTER SUPPRESSION. IS THAT VOTER SUPPRESSION? TREVOR: IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC WHERE IT CLEARLY IS GOING TO BE SAFER TO VOTE BY MAIL, I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT WHEN YOU TRY TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM VOTING SAFELY, YOU ARE SUPPRESSING THE VOTE. NOW, IT'S NOT AT ALL CLEAR THAT THEY'RE SUPPRESSING DEMOCRATIC VOTES RATHER THAN REPUBLICAN VOTES. THERE ARE A LOT OF OLDER REPUBLICANS WHO ARE TRUMP SUPPORTERS AND ARE GOING TO BE VERY NERVOUS ABOUT VOTING IN A CROWDED POLLING PLACE ON ELECTION DAY. SOLEDAD: WHAT'S AT STAKE IN THESE LAWSUITS? GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE. TREVOR: WELL, WHAT THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE HAS BEEN DOING IS ATTACKING EVERY ATTEMPT BY STATES TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO VOTE THIS YEAR. AND SO THERE ARE A RANGE OF THESE EFFORTS STATES HAVE DONE. ONE IS TO SAY THAT YOU DON'T NEED AN EXCUSE TO HAVE A ABSENTEE BALLOT. ANOTHER AREA OF CONTROVERSY HAS BEEN STATES THAT ARE MAKING IT EASIER TO VOTE BY PUTTING OUT OFFICIAL STATE BOXES, RECEPTACLES THAT PEOPLE CAN PUT THEIR BALLOT IN, SO THAT PARTICULARLY WITH ALL THE RECENT CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE POST OFFICE, STATES ARE SAYING, WELL, YOU CAN DROP IT OFF IN AN OFFICIAL BOX AND WE'LL TAKE THE BALLOT AND COUNT IT. AND THE R.N.C. HAS ACTUALLY SUED TO STOP STATES FROM DOING THAT. SOLEDAD: THE POSTMASTER GENERAL, LOUIS DEJOY, NOW IS SAYING HE'S NOT GOING TO REMOVE ANY MORE BLUE BOXES OR SORT OF THE THINGS THEY'VE BEEN RIPPING OUT OF THE VARIOUS POST OFFICES. BUT THEY'RE ALSO NOT REPLACING WHAT HAS BEEN REMOVED. WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO WITH THEIR -- I MEAN, SHOULD THEY TRUST THAT THEIR BALLOTS GOING TO THE POST OFFICE ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO GET THERE IN TIME? TREVOR: THIS IS ALL A MATTER OF TIMING. IT ISN'T THAT THE MAIL IS GOING TO NOT BE DELIVERED. IT IS THAT IT MAY BE SLOWER THAN IT SHOULD BE. SO THE ANSWER TO VOTERS IS GET YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT AS SOON AS YOU CAN, FILL IT OUT AND RETURN IT. IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HERE THAT THERE ARE SOME STATES THAT SAY WE WILL COUNT YOUR BALLOTS AS LONG AS THEY ARE POSTMARKED BY ELECTION DAY. BUT THERE ARE MORE STATES THAT SAY IT HAS TO BE RECEIVED BY ELECTION DAY. AND THAT'S THE DANGER OF A SLOW POSTAL SYSTEM. SOLEDAD: IF YOU WERE ABLE TO QUESTION THE POSTMASTER GENERAL LIKE A MEMBER OF CONGRESS WILL BE ABLE TO DO, WHAT WOULD YOU ASK HIM? WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MAIN QUESTION? TREVOR: I WOULD I WOULD WANT TO HAVE IS A COMMITMENT FROM THE POSTMASTER THAT THESE BALLOTS, WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR DEMOCRACY, GOING THROUGH AN AGENCY CREATED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND IN OUR CONSTITUTION, THAT THESE BALLOTS ARE TREATED AS A PRIORITY AND THAT THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE POSTAL WORKERS ARE EXPEDITE THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, CERTAINLY TREAT THEM AS FIRST CLASS MAIL. AND MY QUESTION WOULD BE, ARE YOU GOING TO PROMISE TO DO THAT? AND WHAT INSTRUCTIONS ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE PEOPLE TO DO THAT? SOLEDAD: TREVOR POTTER IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENT