AURORA | Aurora Democratic Congressperson Jason Crow said his Aurora office received what federal investigators call a “suspicious letter,” as a wave of such incidents have been reported in Washington and across the country.
Yesterday, Boulder Democratic Congressperson Joe Neguse and Democratic Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper also reported that their offices received similar letters.
“Earlier today, my congressional office in Aurora received a letter with a suspicious substance,” Crow said in a statement. “This appears to be one of many unfortunate instances across the country where congressional offices have received mail containing unknown, suspicious substances.”
“My staff is safe, and our district office remains open for those who need assistance,” Crow said. “Attempts to intimidate me or my team will not stop our work on behalf of Coloradans.”
Neguse’s staff reported that the letter contained a “powdery white substance,” according to reporting by National Public Radio.
“I take seriously the safety of my staff and the community I represent,” Neguse said in a statement. He told NPR the work of his staff and office will not be disrupted.
Hickenlooper’s staff said his office, too, remains undaunted by the threats.
“Our office has been notified that postal investigators intercepted a suspicious letter addressed to our Denver office,” a spokesperson for Hickenlooper’s office said in a statement. “We’re grateful to federal authorities for their work to protect our staff and others who have been targeted. Violence and intimidation have no place in our politics. Not now, not ever.”
The mailings come just three weeks before Election Day and are reminiscent of a similar threat in 2023.
The investigation by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Capitol Police was first disclosed in a message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms obtained last week by The Associated Press.
The notice, sent to Senate offices, said that law enforcement officials were working to intercept any additional letters, but “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.”
An FBI statement said the bureau and the Postal Inspection Service were “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.”
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the statement read. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
Previous packages containing a powdery substance led to the evacuation this week of election offices in at least two states, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The Ohio secretary of state said the Postal Service intercepted a package containing a white powder intended for its office and noted that similar mailings had been sent to election officials in multiple states. Numerous states, from Idaho to Florida, said their election offices either received letters or had them intercepted by the Postal Service.
News of more of the letters comes just two weeks before Election Day and is reminiscent of a similar threat in 2023, when election offices in six states received mailings that contained a white powder. In some cases, the incidents disrupted work around local elections.
Some of those letters contained threats and traces of the powerful opioid fentanyl, leading some election offices to stock up on the overdose reversal medication naloxone.
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors issued a joint statement condemning what they said were threats against election staff.
“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” they said in their statement.
Deputy Postal Inspector Brendan Donahue told reporters last week that “any threat or attack on election officials is unacceptable” and that “we are also working with our partners on identifying the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”