'Thinking of You...': Nancy Pelosi becomes the latest target of suspicious white powder letters

Nancy Pelosi has become the latest victim of so-called white powder letters as suspicious mailings target more than three dozen Congress members before the midterms. Federal agencies are investigating, but no suspect has been named. What is happening?

California representative Nancy Pelosi's office has become the latest to receive "a suspicious letter" on Wednesday (Oct 21). This appears to be the latest incident of "political intimidation" mailings targeted at US Congress members just weeks before the midterm elections. The offices of more than three dozen members of Congress across the political spectrum have received envelopes containing white powder in recent days. One lawmaker's office said preliminary tests indicated the powder was not hazardous.

A spokesperson for Pelosi said the letter was "consistent with mailings reported by other congressional offices" and that everyone in the office was safe. "Speaker Pelosi remains focused on serving the people of San Francisco and is concerned for the members and staff whose offices have experienced similar incidents," Nicholas Martin, a spokesperson for the speaker emerita, said in a statement.

"She is grateful for the efforts of the US Capitol police, the San Francisco Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate this series of intimidation across America."

More than 100 letters thought to contain white powder were reportedly thought to be circulating in the US mail system. Election offices across the US have also reported receiving suspicious mail.

The mailings are under investigation by the FBI, the Capitol police and the US Postal Inspection Service. The FBI declined to confirm "specific instances or letters", but said in a statement earlier this week: "The FBI and US 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."

More than three dozen members of the US Congress have had their offices targeted with envelopes containing white powder, less than three weeks before the 3 November midterms, as federal agents try to identify who is behind them.

Acts of political intimidation: Over 100 letters in circulation

Virginia Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, whose Leesburg district office was evacuated on Monday after an envelope containing a suspicious substance arrived, said that "acts of political intimidation have no place in our country". Subramanyam's office said preliminary tests showed the powder was not hazardous.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that more than 100 letters thought to contain white powder were circulating in the US mail system. The FBI, Capitol police and US Postal Inspection Service are investigating, according to a notice sent to Senate staff on Thursday. Election offices in at least 15 states had reported receiving or being targeted by suspicious mail by Thursday evening, according to the Tampa Free Press, which cited federal authorities. No suspect has been named, and federal authorities have not released a confirmed figure.

Targets on both sides: Is Iran behind the suspicious letters?

Senators have been targeted across the political spectrum and the country. Letters addressed to the Democratic Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, and authorities intercepted a letter addressed to California senator Alex Padilla, while Chris Murphy of Connecticut said the FBI, the Senate sergeant at arms and Capitol police alerted his team of a letter as well. Republicans in South Dakota, Texas and Nebraska were also targeted, with Mike Rounds saying his Sioux Falls office was evacuated, along with Pete Ricketts and Ted Cruz also reporting a suspicious letter.

In the House, at least 10 people were exposed after white powder was sent to the offices of the New York Democrats Hakeem Jeffries, Ritchie Torres and Tom Suozzi. In California, Jimmy Panetta said a staffer opened an envelope at his Santa Cruz office, then cleared the room and called 911. He said such attempts to intimidate "will not deter us from doing our job". In Massachusetts, five staffers left Seth Moulton's Salem office while police investigated, and testing found no substances of concern.

A common signature: 'Thinking of You'

Investigators have described several common features connecting the suspicious letters sent to public officials and election centres. The FBI has stated that the recovered envelopes were processed through a North Texas mail processing centre and carry a postmark or stamp reading "Thinking of You". Senate staff and House offices were warned to watch for plain white envelopes featuring these distinct markings. The US Postal Inspection Service intercepted the vast majority of these envelopes and screened them before being delivered.

Previously, in 2024, election officials were targeted in 17 states before the 2024 presidential election, and no suspect has been named in this case.