The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the enforcement division of the United States Postal Service announced on Thursday (October 15) that they are investigating dozens of suspicious mailings containing potentially hazardous substances. These mails were sent to congressional offices and election officials across the country as the midterm elections draw near.
According to the FBI, some of these mails contained unidentified substances.
In a notice sent to senior staff in the office of the United States Senate on Thursday, it was mentioned that the FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) are currently conducting investigations into these mails.
With less than three weeks left until the November 3 election, which will determine the control of the U.S. Congress for the next two years, the U.S. Postal Service is preparing to handle millions of mailed ballots.
According to information from law enforcement sources reported by ABC News, it appears that over 100 of the mails processed by the postal service contained white powder.
The recipients of these mails include members of Congress and election officials from various states, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senator Alex Padilla from California, and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut. Spokespersons for these three senators confirmed that the U.S. Postal Service intercepted mails containing suspicious substances sent to their offices.
ABC News also confirmed that suspicious mails were sent to New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Delaware Democratic Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester; the mail sent to Gillibrand was intercepted by the postal service, while the mail sent to Blunt Rochester was intercepted by the Capitol Police for further investigation.
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms issued a notice to Senate staff warning that some suspicious mails may reach the offices of lawmakers. The notice outlined how staff should handle these items and emphasized that all mails and packages delivered to Senate offices or the Capitol complex must undergo screening and testing to detect any potential threats.
A similar notice was also issued by the U.S. House Sergeant at Arms to members of the House of Representatives and their staff on Thursday.
Suspicious mails were also reported to have been sent to election offices in several states. As of Thursday night, at least 15 states, including Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin, reported encountering such incidents, with some suspicious mails being intercepted before delivery.
While the election day is on November 3, many states have already begun early voting.