The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Capitol Police are jointly investigating a wave of letters containing suspicious substances mailed to Senate offices and election offices across the country, just three weeks before Election Day. Authorities are urging anyone who receives one of these letters to treat it as potentially hazardous.
The investigation came to light Thursday through a message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms, obtained by the Associated Press, warning Senate offices that law enforcement was working to intercept additional letters but acknowledged that “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.” The threat in Congress appeared limited to the Senate side of the Capitol, though the House was keeping a close eye on things.
Election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma were evacuated this week after receiving mailed packages with a powdery substance inside. Ohio’s secretary of state reported that the Postal Service intercepted a package with white powder headed for its office, and noted that suspicious election office mailings had been directed at officials in multiple states.
The FBI confirmed it was “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.” The bureau said some letters contained an unknown substance and that agents are working to “identify the individual or individuals responsible.”
This isn’t the first rodeo. Back in 2023, election offices in six states got hit with similar white-powder mailings, and some of those letters actually contained traces of fentanyl, the powerful opioid that has devastated communities across the country. Some election offices responded by stocking up on naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, which is a sentence nobody should ever have to write about a place where people count ballots.
Deputy Postal Inspector Brendan Donahue was direct about it Thursday, telling reporters that “any threat or attack on election officials is unacceptable” and that his agency is fully engaged in tracking down whoever is behind the mailings. The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors put out a joint statement saying that “those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties.
Hard to argue with that. People processing voter rolls and certifying results are not the enemy, and anybody sending them packages of mystery powder is going to have a very bad time once the feds catch up with them. The FBI is working with partners to intercept any remaining letters before they land on more desks, and the investigation is ongoing with three weeks to go before the country heads to the polls.
