WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement is investigating dozens of letters containing suspicious substances sent to congressional offices and state election officials across the country less than three weeks before Election Day.
Three law enforcement sources briefed on the matter told NBC News that preliminary tests of the white powder substance showed its contents were not dangerous. However, additional testing will continue at law enforcement laboratories across the country to ensure the letters do not contain anything dangerous.
The offices of several Democratic senators, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, were targeted. Election offices in at least 15 states — Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin — reported receiving suspicious packages.
The FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were studying the mailings, according to a notice sent Thursday to senior officials in Senate offices.
“Law enforcement is working to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered, however, it is possible that some letters may reach their destination,” the notice said, according to two people who received it.
Two police sources briefed on the matter confirmed that “dozens of letters” had been sent, but as law enforcement continues to intercept letters, they declined to give an exact figure on the number of letters received or seized.
A letter containing a suspicious substance was addressed to Schumer and intercepted by authorities, a Schumer spokesperson said.
An office of Sen. Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, was also targeted, a Padilla spokesperson told NBC News, adding that the FBI informed the office that a letter containing a suspicious substance had been intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service.
A letter containing a suspicious substance was also sent to Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy’s office in Hartford, Connecticut, his spokesman, Josh Sorbe, said in a statement. The FBI, Capitol Police and sergeant-at-arms notified the office of the letter, Sorbe said, adding that Murphy and his team “were not in immediate danger.”
The Postal Inspection Service and Capitol Police referred questions from NBC News to the FBI, which confirmed in a statement that the agencies were investigating “a series of suspicious mailers sent to various addresses across the country, including the Secretary of State’s offices and their associated election offices.” He did not specify the location of the targeted offices.
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the statement said. “We are also working with our partners to identify the person(s) responsible for the letters.”
Former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack told NBC News that even if the letters are not dangerous or turn out to be a hoax, there is still a possible crime and the investigation will continue.
“Several different laws can come into play here, whether it’s sending a threat or sending something believed to be a dangerous substance,” he said. “And that could mean five to 20 years in prison. »
Pack said the Postal Inspection Service, along with the FBI, has developed good expertise over the years in investigating suspicious letters. Federal agents know how to trace mail from its origin.
“They will be able to go back and do investigations based on where these pieces of mail came from and then work backwards,” he said. “In fairly short order, I think they would find out at least a little more information about who sent it.”
He said that while the motive was unclear, “the timing is somewhat suspicious with the election ahead of us.”
Election Day is November 3, but early voting is already underway in many states.
The notice Senate staff received Thursday included an image of one of the suspicious envelopes and noted that the letters “may contain different variations of postage stamps.” It also warned that suspicious letters, packages or substances “should be treated as potentially dangerous and handled in accordance with established security protocols.”
The notice outlines how staff should handle items and says mail and packages delivered to Senate offices or the Capitol complex are screened and tested for potential threats.
The House Sergeant at Arms sent a similar notice to lawmakers and House staff members on Thursday. He said that while mail and packages delivered to House offices at the Capitol are rigorously screened, district offices should use safe mail-handling procedures, including using “mail hoods” — screening equipment that allows mail to be processed without exposing staffers to danger — provided by the sergeant-at-arms, according to two congressional offices that shared the message with NBC News. The notice stated that no House member had been identified as the intended recipient of the mailings.
The notice sent to Senate staffers does not specify whether the affected congressional offices are those in Washington, D.C., or local and regional offices. Congress is on recess heading into the midterm elections, so most lawmakers are back home in their districts as they campaign in the final weeks before Election Day. However, congressional staffers are still on the Capitol campus.
NBC News reported Wednesday that state election offices in Louisiana, Ohio and Oklahoma received packages this week containing mysterious powders. Oklahoma and Louisiana said they received the envelopes, while Ohio said U.S. Postal Service investigators intercepted a package intended for it.
Threats against election workers have increased in recent years, including incidents involving suspicious substances being sent to their offices. This happened in 2023 and just weeks before the 2024 presidential election.
CORRECTION (October 15, 2026, 5:23 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article incorrectly identified which Oklahoma office received a package. This was the State Board of Elections, not the Secretary of State’s office. The article also misrepresented election oversight in Oklahoma. The Electoral Commission does this, not the Secretary of State.
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