Several of Tennessee’s Republican lawmakers received letters with “an unknown white powder” on Thursday, prompting a lockdown of the sixth-floor legislative offices of the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville.
Tennessee House Republican Caucus spokesperson Jennifer Easton said that the letters “contained obvious threats made by a liberal activist specifically targeting Republicans.”
Nearly 100 of these letters were also sent to Donald Trump and several Republican lawmakers in Kansas last week.
The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Nashville District all have teams on the ground to investigate the situation in Nashville.
Our personnel responded to a suspicious letter call at the Cordell Hull Building. They donned protective suits and air tanks to test the substance. @THPNashville @FBI @DHSgov have personnel on the scene investigating. We have made no transports and have no reports of injuries. pic.twitter.com/D2WCEDcTig
— Nashville Fire Dept (@NashvilleFD) June 22, 2023
“Laboratory testing is ongoing but at this time has not indicated a risk to public safety,” the FBI said, according to a report from the Associated Press. “Law enforcement and public safety officials are working to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters.”
The FBI confirmed to The Hill that they are investigating “a series of suspicious letters sent to a number of public officials,” adding that “some of the letters contained an unknown substance.”
“The bureau described the issue as an ‘ongoing matter’ adding that law enforcement and public safety officials ‘are working to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters,’” the report added.
Easton told the Hill that “the sixth floor of the Cordell Hull Building remains on lockdown while Homeland Security and first responders investigate. All employees and members in the building are safe.”
