Federal authorities are investigating letters with “suspicious substances” that have been mailed to congressional and election offices nationwide — including in Minnesota — and are urging recipients to treat the mailings as “potentially hazardous.”
The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office confirmed a piece of mail addressed to the office was discovered Friday with a “threatening letter” and “unidentified white powder.” It was intercepted before it reached the office.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s Minnesota office was also sent “a letter containing a suspicious substance.”
“Thanks to the work of postal workers and investigators who intercepted it, no one in our office was in immediate danger,” an office spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re grateful to everyone involved for their quick response and we will continue working closely with law enforcement as the investigation continues.”
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The investigation by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Capitol Police was first disclosed in a message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms obtained Thursday by the Associated Press. The notice, sent to Senate offices, said that law enforcement officials were working to intercept any additional letters, but “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.”
In Congress, the threat appeared limited to the Senate, though the House was monitoring the situation, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
The office of Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Delaware Democrat, said in a statement that it was sent a letter with a “suspicious substance” that was intercepted by Capitol Police. Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California said the Postal Service intercepted a suspicious package before it reached his office. And Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said postal inspectors intercepted a suspicious piece of mail addressed to her New York City office.
An FBI statement said the bureau and the Postal Inspection Service were “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.”
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the statement read. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
Mailed packages containing a powdery substance led to the evacuation this week of election offices in at least two states, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The Ohio secretary of state said the Postal Service intercepted a package containing a white powder intended for its office and noted that similar mailings had been sent to election officials in multiple states. Numerous states, from Minnesota to Idaho to Florida, said their election offices either received letters or had them intercepted by the Postal Service.
“Threats against election workers are unacceptable and should not be tolerated,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a statement.
“Our office will not be deterred and will continue to support the thousands of election officials across the state as they administer elections to their communities,” Simon said.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission said in a statement that it received a letter and the white powder enclosed in it was not hazardous, according to tests. “Let this be very clear: this incident will not shake us,” Wisconsin elections administrator Meagan Wolfe said.
News of the letters comes just three weeks before Election Day and is reminiscent of a similar threat in 2023, when election offices in six states received mailings that contained a white powder. In some cases, the incidents disrupted work around local elections.
Some of those letters contained threats and traces of the powerful opioid fentanyl, leading some election offices to stock up on the overdose reversal medication naloxone.
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors issued a joint statement condemning what they said were threats against election staff.
“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” they said in their statement.
Deputy Postal Inspector Brendan Donahue told reporters Thursday that “any threat or attack on election officials is unacceptable” and that “we are also working with our partners on identifying the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
