Politics
White-powder mailings prompt evacuations and security response in Seattle, Olympia
Federal authorities are investigating suspicious mail found at a Seattle federal building and intercepted en route to Washington’s elections division in Olympia. A separate suspicious package reached Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Seattle office the next day, as similar incidents were reported in other states.
Federal authorities are investigating suspicious mail found Thursday at a downtown Seattle federal building and intercepted before it reached Washington’s elections division in Olympia. A day later, Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Seattle office received a suspicious package, adding to a nationwide investigation involving election offices and congressional addresses.
The two letters found Thursday contained white powder. Authorities have not identified the substance or disclosed who sent the mailings.
Seattle firefighters responded to the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building, which houses offices for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, after a potentially hazardous substance was found on the 32nd floor. The floor was evacuated as a precaution. Fire officials contained and removed the material, then cleared the area for people to return. No injuries were reported.
In Olympia, staff with the state Department of Enterprise Services found a letter addressed to the Secretary of State’s elections division. Law enforcement stopped it Thursday afternoon before it reached the office.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs condemned the incidents, saying the mailings appeared intended to create fear and disrupt election work. He described the Olympia letter as an attack on workers responsible for protecting a fair and transparent voting process.
Jayapal said her staff followed established safety procedures after the package arrived Friday and that she and her staff were safe at the time. She called the incidents a deliberate attack on democracy and elections.
The FBI is investigating suspicious mailings sent to election offices and congressional addresses. Similar incidents this week prompted evacuations at election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma. The U.S. Postal Service intercepted a white-powder package intended for the Ohio secretary of state’s office, while testing in Wisconsin found that powder in a letter sent to the state Elections Commission was not hazardous.
The incidents come weeks before Election Day, as election offices prepare for voting. Washington experienced a similar scare in 2023, when suspicious envelopes containing white powder were sent to election offices in six counties. Thurston County officials said the powder presumptively tested positive for fentanyl; no one was hurt, and election operations continued without disruption.
National and state election officials say they are coordinating with law enforcement and security partners to respond to potential threats while keeping election operations running.