HELENA — Last week, election officials across the country reported receiving suspicious packages in the mail. On Friday, the Montana Secretary of State’s Office confirmed a suspicious mailing intended for them was intercepted this week.
Richie Melby, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, told MTN the piece of mail was stopped before being delivered to the office, and that the FBI is now investigating.
“Secretary Jacobsen is grateful to our law enforcement partners for their work protecting our team of husbands and wives, sons and daughters, who are committed to serving Montanans,” Melby said in a statement.
According to CNN and the Associated Press, suspicious packages were delivered to or intercepted before reaching election officials in at least 20 states, including Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona and California. Some envelopes contained an unknown substance.
MTN reached out to the FBI for additional information on the incident, and the agency responded with a statement.
“The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials in several states,” they said. “Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident and safely collect the letters. We are also working with our partners to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters. As this is an ongoing matter we will not be commenting further on the investigation, but the public can be assured safety is our top priority. We would also like to remind everyone to exercise care in handling mail, especially from unrecognized senders. If you see something suspicious, please contact law enforcement immediately.”
Another set of suspicious envelopes went out to election officials nationwide last November – some of them apparently containing traces of fentanyl.
In addition, last summer, several Montana state lawmakers reported receiving suspicious letters containing powder later found to be harmless. That again appeared to be part of a multi-state pattern.
