White Powder Sent To Outspoken Conservatives Nationwide

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, letters containing traces of anthrax were sent to various locations across the United States, resulting in five deaths.

Since then, white powder has been sent in threatening letters to other Americans — most recently in an apparent attempt to intimidate Republican lawmakers and other conservative figures. According to reports, more than 100 of these letters have been documented, beginning in Kansas. 

Some of the letters were sent to prominent national figures, including former President Donald Trump and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, but in both of those cases the threat was intercepted before reaching their intended recipients.

In addition to lawmakers in Kansas, elected GOP officials in Montana and Tennessee also received envelopes containing white powder. The incident led authorities to lock down a legislative building in Tennessee while the situation was investigated.

For her part, Tennessee House Republican Caucus spokeswoman Jennfier Easton said the letters “contained obvious threats by a liberal activist specifically targeting Republicans.”

Although no direct motive has yet been determined, it is worth noting that the states targeted in this attack have recently introduced or passed laws taking a conservative stance on controversial social issues. 

In Tennessee, legislators advanced legislation that based a person’s gender on his or her biological characteristics. Kansas lawmakers passed a bill that prohibited biological men from competing against females in gender-specific sports.

While the powder included with the letters did not appear to be harmful, the language used by the sender included tacit threats. Multiple letters stated: “It is important not to choke on your ambition.”

Kansas state Rep. Stephen Owens, who received one of the letters, said that the return address was that of a church in his district, which he saw as a “very deliberate, very intentional” ploy to get him to open the envelope. 

Referencing his state’s recent legislative action on LBGT and abortion-related issues, he said: “There’s a question whether maybe it’s related to some of those vetoes that we overrode. It’s really terrifying to think that because of someone’s political beliefs that they can be a target.”

The FBI is currently investigating these incidents.