Authorities and recipients of the letters are expressing concerns about a series of threatening letters containing an unidentified white powder, which appear to be targeting Republican lawmakers in Kansas and potentially other parts of the United States. The letters are signed by an unknown individual referring to themselves as “your secret despirer.” According to officials, approximately 100 of these letters have been received by Kansas GOP lawmakers and Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach since Friday.
Federal law enforcement sources have indicated that the list of intended recipients of these white powder letters is expanding beyond Kansas. The sources have revealed that similar letters, including a cryptic note and a suspicious powdery substance, were also addressed to former President Donald Trump, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and other prominent individuals. However, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted these letters before they reached their destinations.
The sources further mention that the Postal Inspection Service currently has possession of the letters and has determined them to be harmless.
The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service are currently monitoring the situation regarding the series of threatening letters. Republican state Senator Molly Baumgardner, who received one of the letters, described it as having a somewhat unclear but intended threatening message. The FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are conducting investigations into the letters to determine the sender and the motive behind them.
According to Baumgardner, “Kansas legislators that are Republican are being targeted”. In her case, the letter she received contained a white powder and a typed note. The note included a phrase that read, “It is important not to choke on your ambition.” The sender referred to the letter as a “gift” and identified themselves as “your secret despirer,” a term derived from the word “despise.”
Steve Owens, a Republican state Representative from Kansas, revealed that he received a letter similar to the one received by Baumgardner. Owens described the letter as being mailed in a standard white envelope and containing a folded piece of paper with white powder inside. He expressed that the experience of receiving such a letter was “terrifying.”
Owens noted that the sender seemed to be meticulous and strategic, using the return address of a local church in an attempt to encourage the recipient to open the letter.
Tory Blew, another Republican state Representative from Kansas, also shared her experience of receiving a letter with white powder inside. She expressed her gratitude for the first responders by saying, “I’m very thankful for our first responders — words can’t describe my gratitude after this event.”
In April, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, received two letters containing white powder after indicting former President Donald Trump on charges related to falsifying business records. The New York Police Department confirmed that the powder in the envelopes sent to Bragg was not hazardous. However, investigators have not found any evidence linking the letters in Kansas to the Trump case in New York, where Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges.
