SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A former FBI agent commented following a suspicious letter containing white powder addressed to Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson’s staff office, claiming to be from a group called the “United States Traitor Elimination Army.”
It did not get mailed to the Utah State Capitol, though that was its intended target — it was intercepted in Reno, Nevada.
“This is not an attack just against the lieutenant governor. This really is an attack against our democratic process, and ultimately it’s an attack against all of us,” said Karl Schmae, former FBI agent.
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Henderson’s staff office is just the latest case nationwide of around 20 election offices targeted by suspicious letters.
“I think everybody should care about this; everyone should be disturbed,” said Henderson.
Schmae explained that incidents like this take a lot of manpower and resources.
“Until that material has been tested and proven to be something innocent, it’s going to be treated as if it’s toxic. So, people have to wear appropriate protective gear to collect that evidence. That’s going to be sent to a lab to make sure to find out what kind of substance that is,” said Schmae.
Schmae’s fear is that in the weeks leading up to the election we will see more things like this, but he said the FBI is working to make sure elections are fair and not interfered with.
“So, we know that there’s threats against our election process, and the FBI has totally stood up to try to defend against that and disrupt that so that we can have a free and fair election, which I think as Americans that’s what we all want,” said Schmae.
Henderson said Americans in general don’t want this.
“The vast majority of Americans don’t put up with this bullcrap,” said Lt. Gov. Henderson.
The FBI said in a statement they are working to learn who is behind the letters and why they were sent:
“The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to election officials in several states. Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident and safely collect the letters. We are also working with our partners to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters. As this is an ongoing matter we will not be commenting further on the investigation, but the public can be assured safety is our top priority. We would also like to remind everyone to exercise care in handling mail, especially from unrecognized senders. If you see something suspicious, please contact law enforcement immediately.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-21 09:11:00
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