Politics
Delaware election offices send nonessential staff home after suspicious mailing
An employee at Delaware’s State Election Commissioner’s Office opened an envelope containing an unidentified white powder Thursday afternoon. The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating similar mailings reported at election and government offices around the country.
Delaware election officials sent nonessential employees home Thursday after an envelope containing an unidentified white powder was opened at the State Election Commissioner’s Office, prompting a safety response and a federal investigation.
The envelope was received and opened by an employee at about 2 p.m. on Oct. 15, officials said. Staff isolated it, evacuated and decontaminated employees, and shut down the office’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. No further details about the substance or any injuries were immediately available.
All Delaware election offices sent nonessential employees home as a precaution, officials said.
The incident was among several suspicious mailings reported Thursday at election and congressional offices nationwide. The FBI said it and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were investigating letters sent to addresses including secretaries of state and related election offices.
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance,” the FBI said, adding that investigators were working with law enforcement partners to respond and identify whoever was responsible.