Open mic catches Sen. Tom Carper cursing during Senate hearing on U.S. Postal Service
Sen. Tom Carper experienced some technical difficulties Friday morning.
The Delaware Democrat said the "F-word" three times during a virtual Senate hearing on the United States Postal Service, which aired uncensored over C-SPAN.
Carper seemed to be unaware that he was unmuted – and on air – as he was turned away from his computer when he shouted the expletive in frustration.
Carper's colleagues quickly caught his attention, however, and Carper muted his mic.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, asked Carper to unmute himself again after the hearing resumed.
Empty mailboxes, missed rent: US Postal Service's struggles have real-world impacts
"We don't want to be on TV again," he joked.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., responded to the gaffe on Twitter, writing, "Oh my."
Oh my. https://t.co/LsqsgoKgl1
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) August 21, 2020
“Like most Americans in 2020, Senator Carper got frustrated with technical difficulties this morning," a spokeswoman for Carper told USA TODAY. "But that pales in comparison to his frustration with a Postmaster General who’s actively undermining the U.S. Postal Service during a national crisis.”
The Senate panel had convened to question President Donald Trump's Postmaster General Louis DeJoy after he instated operational changes at the USPS amid criticisms the moves would hinder the delivery of mail-in ballots in November's election.
DeJoy drew strong objections from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over the Postal Service's sudden changes, which included cuts in overtime and other policies that have led to mail delivery delays.
Contributing: Nicholas Wu
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Tom Carper curses in live mic during hearing on Postal Service
