Politics
Suspicious powder letters reach Maryland lawmakers and state election office
Both Maryland senators, at least five House members and the state elections office reported receiving letters containing a nontoxic powder. The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating as the Nov. 3 election approaches.
Suspicious letters containing a powder that authorities have described as nontoxic were sent to offices of Maryland’s two U.S. senators, at least five of the state’s eight House members and the Maryland elections office in the week before Oct. 24, according to officials. The incidents are part of a nationwide series of similar mailings reported by lawmakers and election officials ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are jointly investigating. The FBI said Thursday that investigators had not identified who sent the letters, what the substance was or what motivated the mailings. The agencies are coordinating with local law enforcement in response to each incident.
Maryland Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis said law enforcement intercepted the letter intended for his office after officials increased mail screening and warned election offices to watch for similar packages. He called the situation “pure madness” and said the incident had not deterred him or his staff from preparing for a safe election.
“It’s a cowardly act … the goal of this person is to disenfranchise Marylanders,” DeMarinis said. “It’s just a pure coward that wants to undermine American democracy in its foundations, starting with elections.”
Both U.S. senators and at least five House members confirmed receiving letters. Rep. Andy Harris, a Republican, was the only member whose office said it had not been targeted. An aide to Rep. Glenn Ivey declined to comment, and Rep. April McClain Delaney did not respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a Baltimore Democrat, said his district office received a letter. He asked postal inspection officials for a briefing on the mailings, including how many had been identified or intercepted and how agencies coordinate their response.
“I take the recent mail threat against our office with the utmost seriousness,” Mfume said in a statement. “The safety of my staff, constituents and all who enter our doors remains my highest priority.” He added that he would not be intimidated or silenced.
Staff for Rep. Johnny Olszewski discovered a letter at his office and isolated it before contacting law enforcement, his spokesperson said. Rep. Steny Hoyer’s district office in Greenbelt received a letter on Monday. Hoyer called efforts to intimidate public officials and staff “un-American” and said such actions threaten democracy.
Similar letters were first reported by representatives in Louisiana and Oklahoma early the previous week, followed by reports from dozens of lawmakers, election officials and secretaries of state around the country. The FBI and postal inspectors have not publicly confirmed individual cases.
The repeated targeting of elected officials and election administrators has heightened security concerns as Maryland and other states prepare to administer the approaching election. DeMarinis said the episode had strengthened his resolve to oversee a safe vote.