Suspicious mail investigation spans senators and state election offices

The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating suspicious mailings to congressional offices, secretary of state offices and election offices nationwide. Federal authorities had not established whether the mailings were connected or identified a sender.

Election-office reports and safety response

On Oct. 15, election offices in at least 15 states reported either receiving suspicious mail or that suspicious mail was intended for their offices. That figure counts office reports rather than packages identified in later reports.

The reported mailings prompted evacuations at election offices and congressional-office buildings. They were reported in the final weeks before Election Day. In Louisiana, election officials evacuated a facility after a staff member opened a package containing white powder, Nancy Landry said. Law enforcement later found no harmful substance. More broadly, some letters contained an unknown substance described in reporting as powdery or white powder. Preliminary tests found no hazardous material, according to law-enforcement sources cited by NBC News, although further laboratory testing was planned.

Former FBI agent Jason Pack said even a nonhazardous letter or hoax mailing could lead to a criminal investigation. He said potential imprisonment could follow if the mailing involved a threat or a purported hazardous substance.

Congressional targets and office responses

Initial reports identified at least five Democratic Senate offices as targets. The offices named in those reports included those of Chuck Schumer, Alex Padilla, Chris Murphy and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Reports also included Republican targets: Susan Collins, Pete Ricketts, Ted Cruz and Mike Rounds confirmed they had been targeted.

Some letters addressed to Schumer and other senators were intercepted before delivery. Murphy's office said law-enforcement actions and safety protocols meant the senator and staff were not in immediate danger. The reported safety protocols include screening and testing mail and packages delivered to Senate offices or the Capitol complex for potential threats.

A Seattle building housing Rep. Pramila Jayapal's office was evacuated after a suspicious package arrived. Fire officials declared the building safe less than two hours after hazmat crews began investigating.

Sender search and reported scope

The FBI said authorities were seeking the sender or senders and had not traced the letters' exact origin.

No connection between the Democratic Socialists of America and the mailings had been established, despite a Senate notice that displayed a return address appearing to refer to the organization, Fox News reported. The organization said it had not occupied that address since 2013.

Political reactions and election operations

Jayapal said the package sent to her office appeared to be a deliberate, widespread attack on democracy and elections and was unacceptable. She pointed to its resemblance to suspicious packages received by election officials and other members of Congress.

Padilla said the incidents illustrated real dangers facing public servants and election administrators. He attributed the climate to increasingly hostile political rhetoric. Separately, Cruz characterized the suspicious letter delivered to his Houston office as an attempt at political intimidation and said attempts to intimidate political opponents have no place in the United States.

The National Association of Secretaries of State and National Association of State Election Directors said security measures and contingency plans would enable officials to respond to threats while maintaining essential election operations.

Separate previous incidents involved suspicious substances mailed to election workers' offices in 2023 and, again, just weeks before the 2024 presidential election.

Safety guidance and Senate warnings

Authorities advised congressional and election offices to treat suspicious letters, packages and substances as potentially hazardous and follow safety protocols.

A Senate sergeant at arms notice listed these possible warning signs:

• Discoloration
• Powder coming from an envelope
• A postmark inconsistent with the return address

The Senate sergeant at arms notice said law enforcement was working to intercept additional letters before delivery, but warned that some could still reach their destinations despite those efforts.