Election officials in more than a dozen states have received suspicious packages in recent days, triggering security fears less than seven weeks before millions of Americans go to the polls to elect the next president and Congress.
Several state election offices, including in Kansas and Iowa, were briefly evacuated after receiving the parcels, which have not been found to contain hazardous material.
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident and safely collect the letters,” spokespeople for the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and FBI told The Post Wednesday.
“We are also working with our partners to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters.”
In at least one case, the sender of a package was listed as the “United States Traitor Elimination Army.” Many of the bundles contained a white, powdery substance, according to local officials.
The Post has confirmed that alarming parcels were delivered to offices in Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee and Wyoming.
Other states affected include Maryland, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Rhode Island, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Targeted offices included state secretaries of state, attorneys general and other public servants whose duties include election oversight.
No injuries have been reported.
Officials urged state offices to “exercise care in handling mail, especially from unrecognized senders.”
“With less than 50 days until the November 5, 2024 general election, we are seeing a disturbing trend continue — the second assassination attempt of a presidential candidate, and threatening and intimidating actions towards election officials,” the National Association of Secretaries of State said in a statement.
“We are thankful our colleagues and their staff members are safe. We are also extremely grateful for the work of law enforcement in expertly handling these incidents,” the group added. “This must stop, period. Our democracy has no place for political violence, threats or intimidation of any kind.”
Justice Department officials have been probing reported threats against election officials across the country. Authorities have warned that the nation is in a “new era in which the election community is scapegoated, targeted, and attacked.”
Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump put out a public “cease and desist,” alleging that Democrats were engaging in “rampant Cheating and Skullduggery” and threatening legal action.
“The 2024 Election, where Votes have just started being cast, will be under the closest professional scrutiny and, WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again,” he posted on Truth Social Sept. 7.
Trump, 78, has long peddled claims of rampant voter fraud denying him re-election in 2020. There is no evidence to support these claims.
Early voting in the 2024 presidential election has already begun in several parts of the country.
