Suspicious Letters Target MD Lawmakers, Board Of Elections

Maryland Rep. Sarah Elfreth's office in Howard County and Rep. Johnny Olszewski's office in Baltimore County were evacuated late last week after they received suspicious letters, followed by the evacuation of Rep. Steny Hoyer's office in Prince George's County on Tuesday.

The mailings coincide with the 25-year anniversary of an anthrax-laced letter opened by an intern in the office of then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle on Oct. 15, 2001, in the Hart Senate Office Building suite. The 2001 attack killed five people, infected 17 others and permanently transformed security and mail handling on Capitol Hill, officials say.

According to one report, more than 30 state election offices nationwide have received similar suspicious letters. That includes Maryland's Board of Elections office.

Numerous members of Congress and secretaries of state have received similar suspicious envelopes.

Elfreth's Columbia office received a suspicious letter, and Olszewski's Towson office received one on Oct. 16. Law enforcement was contacted, and everyone at their offices was evacuated.

"The purpose of our District Office is to serve our neighbors on their hardest days — to date, we have helped over 3,200 constituents in less than two years in office. Threats like these only inhibit our ability to serve our community. These acts are brave political statements. They are anti-democratic. They are corrosive. They put hardworking people - my district office team - dedicated to serving our community in danger," Elfreth said in a statement issued Friday.

A letter containing suspicious powder was also sent to U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks' former state office.

“The Senate Sergeant at Arms notified our office today that a suspicious letter was addressed to one of our former state offices – the letter was intercepted by the United States Postal Service before it reached the address,” a spokesperson for Alsobrooks told WBAL.

Suspicious letters were also delivered to the offices of Maryland Reps. Kweisi Mfume and Jamie Raskin last week. Mfume said he had requested a briefing from the U.S. Postal Service regarding the suspicious letters. He also thanked USPS employees who intercepted the letters before they reached his office.

“(These) mailings are also a reminder that the people most exposed to dangerous mail are the postal employees who handle it first,” Mfume said in a statement. “Our country learned this at great cost in 2001, when two employees of the Brentwood processing facility in Washington, D.C., both Maryland residents, died after anthrax letters addressed to Senate offices passed through their facility. We owe them and their families a lasting debt.”

Maryland State Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis told WBAL that federal law enforcement intercepted a letter addressed to their office containing white powder.

“I’m angry. It’s unsettling,” he said. “It’s you know uncalled for and it’s just wrong. I just want to to say to that anonymous coward that’s trying to stop elections through fear, intimidation, harassment of election administrators (that) you are failing and you’re always going to fail.”

Hoyer said his office was among the latest to receive a "potentially hazardous letter" sent to his Greenbelt location, according to a statement. The office, located on Cherrywood Lane, was evacuated and his staff was safe, his office said in a statement.

The letter was similar to those sent to other public officials. Hoyer has served in the House for approximately 45 years and will retire at the end of his current term.

"My district office staff work hard every day to deliver critical services to Marylanders across the Fifth Congressional District. It is unacceptable that their lives were put in danger," a portion of his statement read. "Intimidation efforts such as these are un-American and pose an existential threat to our democracy. We must not - and will not - allow them to prevent us from fulfilling our commitment to serving our communities."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it's working with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to find the people linked to the incidents. Some of these mailings included a return address for the Democratic Socialists of America headquarters in New York City, according to the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Fox News.

"The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices," an FBI spokesman said in a statement.

No illnesses or injuries were reported in the Maryland cases.