Pelosi's office receives 'suspicious' mail, latest elected official to receive mysterious package

SAN FRANCISCO - Nancy Pelosi has become the latest congressperson to receive a suspicious letter in the mail.

The Speaker Emerita’s office reported on Wednesday afternoon that someone had sent a "suspicious letter consistent with mailings reported by other congressional offices around the country."

"Everyone is safe, and our office is following established security procedures. Speaker Pelosi remains focused on serving the people of San Francisco and is concerned for the members and staff whose offices have experienced similar incidents," a statement from Pelosi’s spokesperson reads.

Not the first

Local perspective:

Multiple Bay Area congressional representatives have received suspicious packages in the mail in recent weeks.

Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s office in Santa Cruz said an envelope was delivered earlier this month and opened by a staffer who immediately disposed of the mail.

"Upon realizing that there was powder in the envelope, she immediately put the envelope in the garbage can, cleared fellow staff members out of the office, and called 911," the representative’s office said in a statement. "My priority is the safety and security of my staff and, thankfully, she and the other staff have been initially cleared by medical officials."

San Jose representative Zoe Lofgren’s office also confirmed they had received a "suspicious letter" on Oct. 16. SJPD’s bomb squad and the San Jose Fire Department responded to the representative’s office on North 1st Street, saying the suspicious item contained an "unknown substance."

"My San Jose office received a suspicious letter through the mail today. Law enforcement was immediately called. The investigation is ongoing. All of my staffers are safe," Rep. Lofgren’s office said.

The Santa Clara Police Department confirmed Rep. Ro Khanna’s office also received the suspicious mail and said they are actively investigating.

In Walnut Creek, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier said his office received a letter matching the description and return address of the suspicious envelopes reported by U.S. Capitol Police. A member of his team secured the envelope without opening it and called local law enforcement and U.S. Capitol Police.

"Threats and political violence seem to have reached a fever pitch in our country," DeSaulnier said. "And I urge my fellow Americans to stand united against such attempts at undermining our democracy."

San Jose police confirmed the substance found in the envelope was not hazardous.

Part of a trend

Big picture view:

These incidents come as other congressional offices around the U.S. report receiving similar "suspicious substances."

The office of Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Delaware Democrat, said in a statement that it was sent a letter with a "suspicious substance" that was intercepted by Capitol Police.

Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California said the Postal Service intercepted a suspicious package before it reached his office. And Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said postal inspectors intercepted a suspicious piece of mail addressed to her New York City Office.

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."

Mailed packages containing a powdery substance led to the evacuation earlier this month 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.

Previous incidents

Dig deeper:

News of the letters has made headlines as Election Day draws nearer, 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.

Deputy Postal Inspector Brendan Donahue told reporters on Oct. 15 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."

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