An Orange County Congressional office is apparently among many around the nation that have reported receiving suspicious envelopes with white powder as Congressional midterm elections approach.
According to a report in Politico, authorities are investigating letters containing “suspicious substances” sent to multiple Capitol Hill offices, according to a notice sent to senior congressional staff.
“Law enforcement officials are working to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered, however, it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations,” says a memo from the Senate Sergeant at Arms and obtained by Politico.
The Capitol Police, FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are involved in the probe, according to the notice, which said additional letters have been mailed to other addresses across the U.S., including lawmakers’ state and district offices.
A separate notice sent to House staffers Thursday identified the substance in the letters as a “suspicious white powder” and said that no House members “have been identified as recipients at this time.”
The message from the House Sergeant at Arms urged staff to “remain vigilant and follow safe mail handling procedures to help protect staff from potentially harmful materials.”
The memo includes a photo of one of the suspicious envelopes and warns staff to keep an eye out for warning signs, such as messy handwriting or postmarks that do not match the return address. The memo was first reported by Bloomberg Government.
Suspicious letters were also sent to state election offices and election officials, according to a joint statement Wednesday from the National Association of Secretaries of State and National Association of State Election Directors.
U.S. Congressman Derek Tran, meanwhile, announced in a statement that his office was among those to receive one of the envelopes with the white, suspicious substance.
“Yesterday, my Cypress office received an envelope containing a suspicious substance, prompting a building-wide evacuation,” Tran said in a statement. “Our office is following the guidance of local law enforcement and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.”
House and Senate mail is processed in two separate Maryland facilities where materials are screened, irradiated and tested for a variety of substances before they are sent to the Capitol complex — a process that can add as much as two weeks to delivery.
Rep. Derek Tran said on Saturday that his district office in Cypress received the suspicious envelope on Friday.
“We’re thankful to the officers and first responders of Cypress Police Department and Orange County Fire Authority for their swift response as they work to keep our team and our community safe,” Tran’s statement continued.
“Politically motivated violence, intimidation, or threats have no place in our democracy. I remain committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on behalf of Californians,” he said.
Members’ district and state offices have the option to send mail for screening before it is delivered or to contract with a similar mail security system.
No one was injured and the investigation continues.