Suspicious mailings have shown up at offices belonging to multiple Republican and Democrat lawmakers across the United States, those individuals said Friday.
The Hill report came as Americans prepare to vote in the November midterm elections.
“Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MO), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and over 15 House lawmakers said their district or state offices received these packages,” the outlet stated. “California Reps. Laura Friedman (D), Jimmy Panetta (D), Gil Cisneros (D), and Linda Sánchez (D) all reported receiving suspicious packages at their district offices and said their staff members were safe.”
Two Democrat lawmakers in Florida, Rep. Maxwell Frost and Rep. Darren Soto, shared similar reports, while spokespeople for Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) said authorities also intercepted suspicious packages.
Federal law enforcement has investigated multiple letters containing suspicious substances mailed to congressional offices and state election officials, NBC News reported Thursday.
Preliminary testing of the powder on the letters reportedly showed it was not hazardous, but officials will continue testing it.
According to NBC 10 Boston, some of the letters featured a New York return address linked to the leftist Democratic Socialists of America, but the group claimed it has not had offices there for some time.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told Newsweek, “The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are 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. We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters. This FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens,” the spokesperson concluded.
President Donald Trump has been holding rallies in several states to encourage Americans to vote in the midterm elections, and his administration is “taking decisive action to protect our elections” in several ways, Breitbart News reported Tuesday.
