Pelosi's office receives suspicious letter in ongoing congressional mailings

FBI, US Capitol Police and US Postal Inspection Service investigate the mailings

The office of California representative and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi received a “suspicious letter” on Wednesday, according to a statement from her spokesperson and reporting by The Guardian. The Guardian described the letter as containing white powder and reported that the incident appeared to be the latest of the mailings sent to US Congress members before the midterm elections. The offices of more than three dozen members of Congress across the political spectrum have received envelopes containing white powder in recent days.

Nicholas Martin, a spokesperson for the speaker emerita, said in a statement that everyone in the office was safe. “Speaker Pelosi remains focused on serving the people of San Francisco and is concerned for the members and staff whose offices have experienced similar incidents,” Martin said. “She is grateful for the efforts of the US Capitol police, the San Francisco police department and other law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate this series of intimidation across America,” the statement added.

The Guardian reported that one lawmaker’s office said preliminary tests indicated the powder was not hazardous. More than 100 letters thought to contain white powder are reportedly circulating in the US mail system, according to The Guardian.

Election offices across the US have also reported receiving suspicious mail. The mailings are under investigation by the FBI, the US Capitol Police and the US Postal Inspection Service, according to The Guardian.

“The FBI and US Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including secretary of state offices and their related election offices, and congressional offices,” the FBI said in a statement earlier in the week. The bureau declined to confirm “specific instances or letters.”

The letter to Pelosi appears to be the latest incident in a series of suspicious mailings reported over the past week, as previously reported on October 19 and continued on October 20. The spokesperson’s statement confirmed the receipt of a suspicious letter, while the assessment that the incident appears to be the latest came from The Guardian. The investigation continues, with targets spanning the political spectrum.