U.S. Rep. for Massachusetts Seth Moulton's office received a suspicious envelope by mail matching the description of other letters sent to congressional offices and election officials around the country.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) said Thursday that they were investigating "suspicious mailings" sent to state officials, some of which contained unknown substances.
The letter sent to Moulton's office was addressed directly to the Democratic congressman. His office confirmed in a statement that the letter had the same return address as the other letters received by other officials on Thursday.
Moulton's office said they did not open the letter and reported it immediately to the Salem Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
FBI agents and Salem police investigated the letter at the Salem District Office and discovered a "white, powdery substance" inside the envelope. Later testing did not identify any substances of concern, according to the statement from Moulton's office.
Salem police said the substance is currently being analyzed at the State Crime Lab.
"Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident," the FBI said in a statement. "We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters. The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens."
The offices of other Massachusetts officials received similar letters, including the offices of Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Rep. Lori Trahan and Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin.
Galvin said that the envelope was addressed to the Elections Division of his office and was not opened. The envelope is now in the custody of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
"Whatever its contents, the intent is clear. It's to intimidate, to create anxiety, to create uncertainty around the election. And we're not going to let that happen," Galvin said during a press conference Friday.
Galvin added that his staff was able to identify the envelope using information from the FBI before it reached the Elections Division
"The Elections Division's work was uninterrupted, and my staff remains focused on administering the upcoming election," Galvin said in a statement.
At least six other Democratic Senate offices across the country were sent the letters, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office. Most letters were intercepted before being delivered.
"We are committed to protecting our nation's election officials from threatening and dangerous mail. Any threat or attack on an election official is unacceptable," USPIS Deputy Chief Inspector Brendan Donahue told reporters Thursday. "Our partners, including the FBI and we at the Postal Inspection Service, will bring all of our resources to bear on these investigations."
