Envelopes carrying unidentified substances were delivered to offices of congressional members and state election administrators, prompting a federal investigation into what authorities described as materials of an undetermined nature.
Brendan Donahue, deputy chief inspector at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, confirmed that both the FBI and the USPIS had opened an inquiry into the packages, which had been flagged as potentially hazardous. Donahue told reporters that some of the correspondence had contained an unidentified substance and had been directed to locations across the country, among them secretary of state offices and affiliated election offices, adding that authorities remained focused on keeping election personnel safe from hazardous or threatening mail.
Donahue stated that threats or attacks directed at election officials would not be tolerated, and that the Postal Inspection Service, alongside partners including the FBI, would commit its full resources to the related investigations. Separately, the Senate sergeant at arms distributed a notice to congressional staff about the ongoing inquiry.
According to a document reviewed by a news outlet, the letters — described as suspicious — were directed at recipients that included congressional offices. A representative for Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy confirmed that the office was among those that received a letter containing an unidentified substance.
A spokesperson for Murphy, identified as Josh Sorbe, noted that the FBI, the Senate sergeant at arms, and Capitol Police had all notified the office about the letters without delay, and that collaboration with those agencies and other federal law enforcement bodies remained ongoing. Sorbe added that the senator and staff had not faced any direct threat, owing to those joint efforts and the safety measures already in place.
Donahue reported that federal authorities were pursuing the individuals behind the letters and had already intercepted a portion of them. Withholding a precise tally of incidents and any potential links between them, Donahue pointed to the active investigation as the reason those details were not being shared. He stated that every available resource within the investigative unit would be directed toward the cases.
The announcement came approximately three weeks ahead of the midterm elections. Election administrators across a minimum of two states told reporters that envelopes containing an unidentified white powder had been delivered to their offices within the past several days.
Testing confirmed no harmful substances were present in white powder discovered on Tuesday when a worker in the Louisiana Secretary of State's Elections Division opened a package. Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry reported via Facebook that law enforcement responded and that no injuries occurred.
A white powder described as unidentified was also found inside an envelope delivered to another state election board office on Tuesday, prompting a full evacuation of the building. According to the election board's secretary, John Ziriax, nobody sustained injuries from the episode and authorities have opened an investigation.
