FBI investigates white powder letters sent to election and congressional offices three weeks before US midterms
Letters with unknown substances were mailed to congressional and Secretary of State election offices across multiple US states three weeks before Election Day, triggering a joint FBI and Capitol Police investigation.
Federal agencies have launched a nationwide investigation into suspicious letters containing an unknown white powder mailed to election offices and congressional buildings across the United States. Election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma were evacuated after staff opened envelopes containing a powdery substance, while the US Postal Service intercepted a similar package destined for Ohio's secretary of state. The FBI, US Postal Inspection Service and US Capitol Police are working jointly to identify whoever sent the letters and intercept any remaining mail before it reaches recipients.
A comparable incident targeted election offices in 2023, when letters laced with the powerful opioid fentanyl were dispatched to several states.
The Senate sergeant at arms alerted members of the upper chamber Thursday; the House is also monitoring, though the situation there appears isolated to the Senate so far.
'Any threat or attack on an election official is unacceptable,' US Postal Inspection Service deputy chief Brendan Donahue said at a press conference Thursday.