Federal Probe of White Powder Letters Widens to More Lawmakers and Election Offices

A federal investigation of letters containing an unknown white powder, mailed to congressional and state election offices, widened Friday, Oct. 16, as Republican senators said their offices had also been targeted, NBC News reported. Law enforcement has not traced who sent the letters, two sources told NBC. As of Saturday afternoon, no arrest or charge had been announced.

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are leading the investigation, NBC reported. The U.S. Capitol Police is also involved, according to a Senate Sergeant at Arms message obtained by The Associated Press and CNN.

This is a developing story. Counts below are as of Friday afternoon and night, as reported; no newer national tally, arrest, charge or final lab result had been published as of 12:58 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 17.

How many offices

Counts vary by outlet and by when they were tallied.

NBC News reported Oct. 16 that the identified targets included at least 26 state election offices and at least 22 offices of congressional Democrats, seven of them senators. NBC also named four Republican senators.

CNN reported that at least 36 members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, said their offices had received suspicious letters as of Friday night. CNN said election offices in at least 10 states had received such letters.

One source told NBC that "dozens and dozens" of letters matching the same description had been sent nationwide.

CNN said it is unclear whether the letters sent to election offices and those sent to congressional offices are linked. NBC reported that federal officials appear to be treating the incidents as connected.

What lawmakers said

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on X on Oct. 16 that his Houston office "received a suspicious piece of mail containing a white powder substance".

Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska wrote that his Omaha office "received a letter with a powdery substance" that matched letters sent to other offices. Referring to Omaha police, the FBI and Capitol Police, he wrote, "They confirmed the substance was not harmful".

Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said his Sioux Falls office received "a suspicious piece of mail," and Sioux Falls police responded to investigate and evacuate the office.

Two letters addressed to Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, at her Portland and Washington offices, were intercepted before they arrived, and no one was hurt, her chief of staff, Katie Brown, said.

NBC listed more than 20 Democratic House members and six other Democratic senators, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, whose offices reported letters. Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, an independent, said his district office also received one.

Most, if not all, of the letters sent to senators were intercepted before delivery, NBC reported.

Election offices

Officials in Louisiana and Oklahoma said their election offices received letters Tuesday, Oct. 13, and were evacuated, CNN reported. AP also reported evacuations in both states.

In Arizona, offices at the state Capitol complex were evacuated Thursday, Oct. 15, after staff opened an envelope filled with white powder, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said, according to CNN. Fontes told CNN an initial lab check for toxicity came back negative.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission said tests showed the powder in the letter it received was not hazardous, AP reported. "Let this be very clear: this incident will not shake us," Wisconsin elections administrator Meagan Wolfe said.

What investigators say

"Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident," the FBI said in a statement quoted by AP and CNN. "We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters".

Brendan Donahue of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service told reporters Oct. 15 that "any threat or attack on election officials is unacceptable," AP reported.

The Senate Sergeant at Arms warned staff that "it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations".

Is the powder dangerous?

So far, results point to no hazard, but they are preliminary.

A source told NBC that preliminary field testing found all powder tested so far was not hazardous. Further testing will take place at law enforcement laboratories, the source said.

CNN reported no injuries in any incident and said substances had been found non-hazardous in at least six cases.

Why it matters

The mailings come less than three weeks before Election Day. Election officials have faced similar mailings before. AP reported that letters with white powder reached election offices in six states in 2023, some with traces of fentanyl. CNN reported that such packages reached election officials in at least six states weeks before the 2024 election.

The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors said in a joint statement: "Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties".