FBI investigating suspicious letters sent to Grijalva, Ansari and Stanton

Suspicious letters, some of which contained unknown substances, were sent to three of Arizona’s Democratic members of Congress, just days after the Secretary of State’s Office was evacuated because of an envelope filled with white powder. 

In a joint statement, U.S. Reps. Adelita Grijalva, Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton said they were notified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s office in Phoenix and the Arizona Department of Homeland Security that their Arizona offices had received suspicious letters, many of which included unknown substances. 

Letters addressed to Grijalva and Ansari were delivered to former offices and the one sent to Stanton’s office in Mesa was intercepted before it could arrive. 

The trio called the letters an attempt to intimidate them but said it wouldn’t deter them from continuing in their roles as elected officials. The incidents come just two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

“We’re grateful to law enforcement for acting quickly and keeping our staff and communities safe,” the three Democrats said in a joint statement. “We will not be intimidated, and we’ll keep doing the work that Arizonans elected us to do.”

This is the second time in less than a week that Arizona’s elected leaders have received suspicious mail. On Oct. 15, Arizona’s election chief was targeted as part of a nationwide threat wave that saw more than 100 political organizations and elected leaders receive similar letters.   

Brooke Brennan, a spokesperson for the FBI’s office in Phoenix, said that the agency is investigating multiple incidents of suspicious mail being sent to the offices of election officials and congressional members across the country. 

“The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices, and congressional offices,” Brennan said in an emailed statement. “Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident. We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters. This FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to safeguard the public and secure elections for American citizens.”