Federal law enforcement agencies are investigating a nationwide wave of suspicious letters containing unknown powdery substances sent to congressional members and state election officials, authorities announced Thursday.
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said they are working together to identify whoever is responsible for the mailings, which have targeted secretaries of state, legislative buildings and federal lawmakers just weeks before November’s midterm elections. Some packages were stopped by postal inspectors before reaching their destinations, while others prompted emergency evacuations and hazmat responses.
Envelopes Trigger Evacuations and Precautions
In Louisiana, state election workers evacuated their building on Tuesday after an employee opened an envelope containing white powder, BBC News and NPR reported. The staff member was taken to an emergency room as a precaution and was not injured, according to Trey Williams, a spokesman for the Louisiana secretary of state. First responders later determined the powder was not harmful.
The Oklahoma State Election Board also received a letter with an unidentified powder at the state capitol complex, officials said. State troopers evaluated the material and confirmed it was non-hazardous, according to The Guardian. In Cook County, Illinois, County Treasurer Maria Pappas received an envelope containing white powder on Thursday morning, prompting a local law enforcement response. Pappas\’s office confirmed the substance was baking powder.
Other mailings were stopped in transit. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said postal inspectors intercepted an envelope addressed to his office that contained white powder. Postal workers also intercepted a suspicious letter sent to the Pennsylvania Department of State, according to a report by Votebeat cited by The Guardian.
Lawmakers Warned on Capitol Hill
Suspicious packages were also addressed to members of Congress. In a warning distributed to Senate staff on Thursday and reported by ABC News, the Senate sergeant at arms cautioned that investigators were tracking multiple letters sent to congressional offices across the country.
The sergeant at arms warned staff to treat any unexpected deliveries as potentially hazardous and advised that some letters might slip past screeners. Characteristics noted in the security advisory included discoloration, powder leaking from envelopes, and postmarks that did not align with the return address, according to NPR. One image circulated to staff displayed a New York City return address labeled with the letters DSA.
Spokespeople confirmed that a suspicious letter addressed to the Hartford office of Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, was intercepted before arrival. A similar package directed to Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, was also intercepted by postal workers, The Guardian reported.
Emergency scanner traffic reviewed by the BBC also indicated that suspicious mail was reported at state capitols in Albany, New York, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Election Officials Condemn Intimidation
The scare arrives as election administrators nationwide prepare for voting that will determine party control of the U.S. House and Senate. In a joint statement, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors condemned the mailings.
“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” the organizations said.
The episode follows similar harassment campaigns in recent election cycles. During the 2024 general election, election offices across more than a dozen states received mail containing white powder, which in several instances proved to be flour. A year earlier, letters sent to election workers in multiple states were found to contain trace amounts of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
The FBI and postal inspectors have not publicly identified any suspects or motive, and federal officials said efforts to trace the origin of the letters remain ongoing.
