4 Minnesota Officials Targeted In Nationwide Wave Of Suspicious Mail

ST. PAUL, MN — Minnesota's two U.S. senators, a congresswoman and the state's top election official said Friday that their offices were targeted by suspicious mail, as federal investigators look into a wave of similar letters sent to elected officials and election offices across the country.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a post on X that a letter containing a suspicious substance was sent to her Minnesota office.

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Postal workers and investigators caught the letter before it arrived, and nobody in the office was in immediate danger, she said. Klobuchar, the DFL candidate for governor, said Capitol Police and postal inspectors quickly alerted her office and that she is working with law enforcement as the investigation continues.

The Minnesota Department of Administration found a piece of mail addressed to Secretary of State Steve Simon's office on Friday that held a threatening note along with an unknown white powder, according to Simon's office.

The mail was stopped before it reached the office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is testing the powder, the office said.

Simon said his office will not be deterred by the threats and will keep supporting elections across the state.

In Plymouth, firefighters responded after Rep. Kelly Morrison's district office received a letter with a suspicious substance, the congresswoman said on X, according to CBS News Minnesota.

Sen. Tina Smith's office told the station that a mailing headed to her Minnesota office was caught by the Postal Service. The station also noted that a suspicious package forced Simon's office to evacuate for a day two years ago.

Morrison, a DFLer, represents Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District.

As of Friday night, at least 36 members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, said their offices had been sent suspicious letters, CNN reported. No injuries have been reported, and in at least five cases the substance was found to be harmless, according to CNN. Among those targeted was U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, whose Milwaukee office received one of the letters.

Election offices in at least 15 states have also said they were targeted, NBC News reported, and the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating.