Additional California federal lawmakers receive suspicious white powder envelopes

Capitol Alert Local National admin October 21, 2026 0 Comments

Additional California federal lawmakers receive suspicious white powder envelopes

California federal lawmakers continue to report this week that they are among the dozens of elected officials who have received envelopes containing suspicious white powder.

On Tuesday, Reps. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Jim Costa, D-Fresno, both reported that their offices had received letters with an unknown powdery substance. Such letters have been sent in the last week to several California lawmakers, including Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Rocklin, Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla.

“Political violence, threats, and intimidation have absolutely no place in our democracy,” Huffman wrote on social media. “This type of behavior must be condemned unequivocally.”

Lawmakers across the political spectrum and country have been targeted. Among the most well-known names are Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

“This incident is deeply concerning,” Cruz said on X. “Attempts to intimidate your political opponents have no place in our country.”

The FBI, in response to questions on Wednesday, declined to confirm “specific instances or letters” but said that the agency and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating “a series of suspicious mailings” sent to secretary of state offices, election offices and congressional offices.

Preliminary information by law enforcement sources suggested there were more than 100 letters circulating in the U.S. mail system that contained white powder, according to ABC News.

“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 written statement to The Sacramento Bee. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”

In the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, more than 15 state election offices also received suspicious mailings.

This story was originally published October 21, 2026 at 3:16 PM with the headline “Additional California federal lawmakers receive suspicious white powder envelopes.”