At least three Colorado lawmakers receive suspicious letters containing white powder
Multiple Colorado lawmakers confirmed on Monday that they had received suspicious letters in the mail containing a white powder.
A statement from U.S. Rep. Neguse's office said, "Today a suspicious letter containing white powder was delivered to Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse's district office in Boulder County. The matter is now being investigated by Federal authorities, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FBI, and U.S. Capitol Police. "
Public officials across the country have reported receiving similar letters containing an unknown white powder. These include many election officials and congressional offices.
Deputy Chief Inspector at the USPIS Brendan Donahue told CBS, "We are committed to protecting our nation's election officials from threatening and dangerous mail. Any threat or attack on an election official is unacceptable," Donahue said. "Our partners, including the FBI and we at the Postal Inspection Service, will bring all of our resources to bear on these investigations."
Neguse said that, so far, none of those letters have been determined to contain hazardous substances.
Letters were also sent to the offices of U.S. Rep. Jason Crow and U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen.
Pettersen's office told CBS Colorado that the FBI responded immediately and retrieved the envelope for testing.
A statement released by Crow said:
"Earlier today, my congressional office in Aurora received a letter with a suspicious substance. 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. Attempts to intimidate me or my team will not stop our work on behalf of Coloradans.
I want to thank the FBI, U.S. Capitol Police, Aurora Police Department, and other law enforcement for swiftly working to investigate this matter and keeping everyone safe."
Neguse also thanked law enforcement for responding quickly to the threat and said it will not deter him from serving his constituents:
"I take seriously the safety of my staff and the community I represent, and I'd like to extend my gratitude to the local and Federal law enforcement officials who acted swiftly to respond to reports of a threatening letter with suspicious substances being sent to our district office in Boulder County. Because of them, there is no continued threat to public safety in the area.
The nature of this mailing, and others like it being received by elected officials across the country, whether to cause physical harm or provoke unease among public servants, will not prevent me and my team from working day in and day out to serve the people of Colorado's 2nd District.
It's clear that there has been a real, palpable sense of fear percolating in communities across the country lately. And while we know that fear can be contagious, I firmly believe that so is hope. I'll continue to do everything in my power to choose hope — and to stand up for the people of Colorado."
