Vote officials in 17 states received mailings ahead of 2024 ballot
The New York State Capitol in Albany and the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne are among recipients of the suspicious-substance mailings now under federal investigation, according to emergency responder scanner feeds reviewed by the BBC, expanding the known reach of a probe that has also drawn in Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, whose office confirmed a letter addressed to him was intercepted before reaching his office.
The FBI and the US Postal Inspection Service said Thursday they are working to trace the “suspicious mailings,” some of which were intercepted before they were received, while declining to specify how many offices have been targeted. Several secretaries of state and congressional offices reported receiving the letters, the agencies said.
In a statement, the FBI and the postal inspectors said: “This FBI and the US Postal Inspection Service will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens.”
The Oklahoma State Election Board and the Louisiana secretary of state both said this week that their offices had been sent letters containing a white powder. The Louisiana office was evacuated Tuesday after a staff member opened the package; it has since reopened after law enforcement found no evidence of harmful substances in the letter.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said his office was the intended recipient of a letter containing white powder, but the US Postal Inspection Service intercepted the mailing before it arrived. Senator Chris Murphy was also sent a letter containing a suspicious substance, his spokesman said, but it was intercepted before reaching his office.
The mailings come just weeks before Election Day, which will determine the balance of power in Congress. Ahead of the 2024 election, vote officials in 17 states received suspicious packages. A year earlier, suspicious envelopes, some laced with fentanyl, were sent to election offices in at least five states.