Politics
Suspicious mailings prompt Maryland congressional office evacuations as election officials are targeted
Offices for Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Johnny Olszewski were evacuated after receiving suspicious mail Friday; similar letters were reported at other Maryland congressional and election offices. The FBI says it is investigating at least 100 mailings across 19 states, some containing an unknown substance.
Suspicious letters sent to Maryland members of Congress and election officials prompted two congressional office evacuations Friday, as federal authorities investigated a wider wave of mailings across the country.
The district offices of Democratic Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Johnny Olszewski were evacuated after receiving suspicious mail containing an unknown substance, according to their offices. Olszewski’s staff isolated the package and notified law enforcement, spokesperson Jaime Lennon said. No one was reported injured or sickened.
Letters were also delivered to the offices of Reps. Kweisi Mfume, Steny Hoyer and Jamie Raskin. Mfume asked the postmaster general and U.S. Postal Inspection Service for answers. “In this political climate, I will not be intimidated, silenced, or frightened from the call to serve,” he said.
Envelopes addressed to Maryland Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks were intercepted, and the Maryland State Board of Elections also had a letter intercepted, state elections administrator Jared DeMarinis said. Alsobrooks’ spokesperson said the Senate Sergeant at Arms notified the office that a letter had been addressed to one of her former state offices.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating at least 100 letters sent to addresses in 19 states, according to ABC News. The FBI said the mailings included congressional offices and state secretaries of state and election offices. Some contained an unknown substance; investigators are working to identify those responsible, the agency said.
Maryland’s lone Republican representative, Andy Harris, did not receive a mailing, according to the report. Rep. Glen Ivey’s office declined to discuss its security arrangements, and Rep. April McClain Delaney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The targeting comes as Maryland’s early voting was set to begin Thursday, Oct. 22. DeMarinis called the threats an attack on the election process and urged residents to continue voting. “What they’re trying to do is stop you from exercising your constitutional right to vote,” he said.
Caroline Welles, founder of The First Ask, a political action committee that supports first-time Democratic women candidates for state legislatures, said threats can discourage people from serving in public roles. She warned that political violence could leave fewer people willing to take on those jobs, with women disproportionately affected.