Politics
Fresh suspicious letters sent to Illinois Reps. Schakowsky and Quigley
The lawmakers’ offices received second suspicious mailings Wednesday, prompting investigations by local police and federal authorities. The incidents come amid a broader wave of threatening letters aimed at elected officials and election offices ahead of Election Day.
Two Illinois members of Congress said Wednesday that their offices had received another suspicious letter, triggering responses from law enforcement in Skokie and Chicago.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s office in Skokie alerted authorities after staff found the letter, her office said. Skokie police and U.S. Capitol Police responded, along with FBI agents and hazardous-materials personnel. The contents are under investigation.
Schakowsky, a Democrat who is retiring in January, also received a suspicious letter at her office Oct. 16. Her staff did not open that mailing, following warnings from the House sergeant-at-arms about suspicious packages being sent to members of Congress.
“My team and I will not be deterred,” Schakowsky said in a statement. “We will keep showing up, doing our jobs, and fighting for the people of Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.”
Rep. Mike Quigley, also a Democrat, said a second suspicious package arrived at his Chicago office Wednesday. Chicago police and U.S. Capitol Police are investigating.
Quigley described the mailing as “another effort to scare and intimidate elected officials, public servants, and voters.” He urged political leaders in both parties to condemn political violence and lower the temperature of political debate.
Reps. Brad Schneider and Robin Kelly, both Illinois Democrats, were among those who reported suspicious letters the previous week. The latest incidents are part of a wider series of mailings reported by congressional and election offices around the country. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Robert Garcia of California have also recently reported receiving suspicious packages.
Illinois election offices have faced similar scares. The Illinois State Board of Elections evacuated its offices last week after receiving a suspicious letter, which the FBI took as part of its investigation. A separate envelope delivered to Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ downtown Chicago office contained baking powder, according to previous reporting.
Some suspicious letters sent to election offices in other states reportedly included threats and traces of fentanyl, prompting some offices to obtain naloxone, an overdose-reversal medication. Authorities have not said what was in the latest letters sent to Schakowsky and Quigley.