WLTReport reported last weekend that more than 30 letters containing white powder were sent to Republican representatives and senators in Kansas.
30 Republican Lawmakers Receive Letters Containing Suspicious White Powder
At the time of writing, no one was harmed by the suspicious powder and the powder underwent testing in a lab to determine if it's harmful.
BREAKING: More than 30 letters containing suspicious white powder sent to lawmakers and other officials across Kansas. FBI investigating pic.twitter.com/5p0HDcUWVn
— BNO News (@BNONews) June 16, 2023
From The Kansas Reflector:
Federal and state law enforcement and health officials are investigating letters containing suspicious white powder that were sent to legislators and state agencies.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation confirmed a multi-agency response Friday after more than 30 of the letters were reported across the state. No injuries have been reported in connection with the letters, the agency said.
The Kansas City Star and Topeka Capital-Journal reported that Republicans in the Kansas House and Senate had received the letters. Spokeswomen for the House and Senate Democrats told Kansas Reflector they weren’t aware of any Democrats who had received a letter.
Tom Day, director of legislative administrative services, alerted lawmakers to the potential threat in an email Friday. Day said the letters were being received by legislators at their homes, and one was delivered to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office. The letters, which have a return address of Topeka or Kansas City, were turned over to the KBI and Federal Bureau of Investigation, Day said.
“Please be diligent and cautious when receiving mail from unknown individuals,” Day wrote in the email.
A spokeswoman for the KBI didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry asking if the letters were only sent to Republicans, when the first letter was discovered, or how long it would take to identify the powder.
UPDATE
As of Sunday night, approximately 100 letters containing suspicious white power have been received across the state of Kansas.
Per the Kansas Bureau of Investigation:
The KBI and the FBI, with assistance from KDHE and other partners, updated findings on the white powder found in letters sent to Kansas legislators and public officials.
As of Sunday June 18, approximately 100 letters containing suspicious white powder have been received across the state of Kansas. A small sample of the letters containing powder was sent to a laboratory that specializes in testing biological samples.
Preliminary tests have returned from this lab indicating the substance is presumptively negative for common biological agents of concern. Further and more complete testing will be conducted on this sample, as well as on additional letters that have been collected, in an effort to determine the components of the substance.
AP reported on the update:
About 100 letters containing suspicious white powder have been sent to lawmakers and other public officials across Kansas, officials said.
No injuries have been reported, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. It had counted more than 30 letters as of late Friday afternoon and increased the tally to 100 as of Sunday.
In a Facebook post Sunday, the bureau said preliminary tests on the substance were negative for common dangerous toxins.
In emails sent to legislators and obtained by The Topeka Capital-Journal, Tom Day, director of Legislative Administrative Services, said the Kansas Highway Patrol had informed his office of the letters, which contain a return address of either Kansas City or Topeka.
The letters were sent to legislators at their homes and have been turned over to the KBI and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Day wrote.
President Trump and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly also received envelopes containing suspicious white powder.
Some of the letters with a 'suspicious, powdery substance' went to figures such as Clarence Thomas and former President Donald Trump. https://t.co/FU9aLD7VMt
— WHAS11 News (@WHAS11) June 20, 2023
News Busters reports:
After outrageously ignoring the initial story during their flagship morning shows, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News refused to update viewers on a new revelation in the incident involving white powder being sent in envelopes to members of the Kansas Republican Party which is that they were also sent to former President Trump and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Much like they did during their morning show Good Morning America, ABC’s World News Tonight kept up with the politically motivated attack on Kansas Republican lawmakers.
cont.
“Envelopes containing a suspicious powdery substance were discovered in the mailboxes of a few dozen Kansas lawmakers. But tonight the list of intended recipients is growing,” ABC News investigative reporter Aaron Katersky revealed.
“More than 100 Kansas officials have now received letters and federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News letters were also addressed to former President Trump, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and other high-profile individuals, though we're told the postal inspectors intercepted those letters before they were delivered,” he added.
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