Dozens of US Congress members' offices targeted with white powder letters

More than three dozen offices of US Congress members have received envelopes containing white powder, less than three weeks before the 3 November midterm elections. Federal agents are trying to identify who is behind the campaign, and no suspect has been named.

The latest known case involved Virginia Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the House of Representatives, whose district office in Leesburg was evacuated on Monday after an envelope with a suspicious substance arrived. The office was cleared quickly, and preliminary tests showed the powder was not hazardous. He said political intimidation has no place in the country.

The investigation

Citing law enforcement sources, ABC News reported that more than 100 letters believed to contain white powder are circulating in the US mail system. The FBI, Capitol Police and the US Postal Inspection Service are investigating, according to a notice sent to Senate staff on Thursday. By Thursday evening, election offices in at least 15 states had reported receiving or being targeted by suspicious mail, according to the Tampa Free Press, which cited federal authorities. No confirmed overall figure has been released.

Who was targeted

Senators have been targeted across party lines and across the country. Authorities intercepted letters addressed to Senate Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer and California senator Alex Padilla. Connecticut senator Chris Murphy said the FBI, the Senate sergeant at arms and Capitol Police warned his team about a letter. Republicans in South Dakota, Texas and Nebraska were also targeted: Mike Rounds said his Sioux Falls office was evacuated, while Pete Ricketts and Ted Cruz reported a suspicious letter.

In the House, at least 10 people were exposed after white powder reached the offices of New York Democrats Hakeem Jeffries, Ritchie Torres and Tom Suozzi. In California, a staffer of Jimmy Panetta opened an envelope at his Santa Cruz office; the room was cleared and 911 was called. In Massachusetts, five staffers left Seth Moulton's Salem office while police investigated, and testing found no substances of concern.

Common features

The FBI says the recovered envelopes were processed through a north Texas mail processing center and bear a postmark or stamp reading “Thinking of You”. Senate and House offices have been told to watch for plain white envelopes with these markings. Most of the envelopes were intercepted by the Postal Inspection Service and screening facilities before delivery.

In 2024, election officials in 17 states were targeted before the presidential election, and no suspect has been named in that case either.