McCain’s staff quarantined after receiving threat letters: Officials
Canada.com
Staff members at two campaign offices for White House hopeful John McCain were quarantined Thursday after threatening letters containing a suspicious powder substance were received, officials said.
The first letter arrived at the Republican’s campaign headquarters in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. A second letter was later reported at a McCain office in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Both buildings were evacuated and staff members sent to medical facilities for treatment under quarantine while FBI and Secret Service agents joined hazardous materials experts at both scenes.
Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren told AFP that the envelope received in Centennial, a Denver suburb in the western state, “also contained a generic warning regarding the contents,” but gave no further details.
“McCain staffers reported that they had received an envelope containing white powder in McCain’s campaign office in Centennial,” Zahren said.
“The staff has been quarantined and the building has been evacuated.”
McCain spokesman Jeff Sadofky said that all campaign offices were put on the alert after the New Hampshire letter was found.
“We have put all of our offices on highest alert. They’re looking for anything suspicious and all staff has been quarantined as of right now,” he told Fox news.
“Immediately upon learning of this, federal and local law enforcement officials were notified,” Sadofky said.
“Staffs were immediately transported to a local hospital. Hazmat is on the scene and is looking for more information,” he added. “Our staff has evacuated as a precaution.”
Asked about the content of the letters, Sadofky said: “The best I can tell you is that the letters contained a threat to those who have read it. We have turned everything over to law enforcement.”
Fox television reported that between five and 25 staff and volunteers were at the McCain office in Centennial when the letter arrived in the mail, and that those people had been taken to hospital. It was unclear how many were in the New Hampshire office.
In Colorado, the Arapahoe County sheriff’s office said police and fire officials responded to a “a call of a suspicious package, containing an unknown powder, that was delivered,” to the headquarters.
“At this time the scene has been secured and several people who may have been exposed to the substance are being examined by medical personnel,” it said in a statement.
“The substance is being examined to determine if it is hazardous.”
A spokeswoman for McCain’s rival Barack Obama said they were unaware of any similar incidents at the Democrat’s offices.
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Is Crist threat letter linked to McCain’s?
Miami Herald
TALLAHASSEE, Florida
State investigators are trying to find out who sent a threatening letter to Republican Gov. Charlie Crist in an envelope filled with a white powdery substance, The Miami Herald has learned.
The powder was quickly tested and deemed nontoxic, said Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Heather Smith. She said FDLE is coordinating with federal authorities who are investigating the circumstances behind two threatening letters reported Thursday by presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign.
Smith said the letter sent to Crist directly threatened him. She suggested the perpetrator could soon be caught and called this an “isolated incident.”
The letter addressed to Crist was received Wednesday, but news of it didn’t leak out until McCain’s campaign reported similar letters. McCain and Crist are friends. McCain has been considering Crist as a vice-presidential candidate. Crist is scheduled to speak briefly at the Republican National Convention next month in Minneapolis.
The Crist letter was detected during a routine screening of Crist’s mail at a site away from the Capitol, Smith said.
”We believe significant progress has been made in the investigation,” Smith said. “We’ve worked aggressively on this. It appears to be isolated incident. We expect this will be resolved quickly, and when it does the information will be made public.”
And now there are three counting a letter sent to Joel Dykstra……
Threatening Letter Sent To Joel Dykstra
Sioux Falls, SD
ksfy.com
The incident happened at about 10:30 Tuesday morning. Staff members for Republican Joel Dykstra were opening mail in his U.S. senate campaign office when they came across an angry sounding letter with white powder.
“The message on the letter was very threatening. Very direct,” said Dykstra.
Dykstra was at DakotaFest in Mitchell but his staff called 911. Soon Hazmat crews were suiting up outside the strip mall on Minnesota Avenue to find out what the white powder was. A special machine indicated it was baby powder, but crews didn’t take any chances. Becky Otten’s business is right next door to Dykstra’s campaign office.
“The firemen did come in to let me know what was going on. We share the same heating and air conditioning system and stuff to make sure I was safe,” said Otten.
Becky was safe as was everyone else in the building. Dykstra says if there’s any silver lining, it’s that law enforcement and rescue crews knew how to handle the situation. Dykstra says as for his campaign, it’s back to business.
“We intend to carry on with activities of our campaign that we have been. And I believe we’ll do that without too much further interruption,” said Dykstra.
Even though that powder is believed to be baby powder, it’s being sent to SDSU for further testing.
Tuesday Police told KSFY it is possible to pull finger prints from an envelope but they’ll have to see if they can do that in this case.
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Wild Thing’s comment…………
There have been three letters containing white powder sent to Republicans in the last two days.
Why can’t we disagree with people without trying to harm/kill/threaten them? Sheesh! To anxswer myself, it started when idiots thought that violence “in the name of the proletariat” was cool (William Ayers et al.).
Obama’s fall from grace really has the ‘RATS riled up. I imagine we’re going to see more of this.
This is just their speed. Getting all hyped up and doing something stupid, like sending baby powder through the mail with a threat letter. I thought liberals thought they were intelligent. Well, obviously not. Yesterday on the way home, we saw three young college age boys pulling for Jim Esch, who is running against Lee Terry (good luck with that one), which is fine, they have the right to, but one was dressed like a cell phone and another was wearing a sandwich board about how Lee takes big oil money and the other was smoking up a storm! It was funny. But they claim republicans are so bad, but we would never stoop so low as to threaten another candidate like this.
People with too much time and hate- ooppss! I guess they did not realize they sent the crap to the wrong political side LOL!!!
The Clinton’s are innocent. Their enemies never know what’s coming.
Ever since the Tylenol poisioning case back in the 70’s which lead to the sealed medicine packaging we see today, I thought that attempted poisoning should be a capital offense. It may be that these are nut cases sending flour or baby powder in envelopes to terrify people, but it is still very serious. Life in solitary might discourage some of this nonsense.
Thank goodness the main suspect in the anthrax poisonings committed suicide as the authorties closed in recently. Saved us a long trial and a bunch of psychological boo hoos about his mental problems.
Fox news said at least one of those letters came from a prison inmate. Jack Ruby may have been wrong it his method but he eliminated one Communist guilty or not of assassination. Instead of seeking a moral equivalence, a .22 short behind the ear would suffice as justice for me.
The nutroots are getting scared. Even if their worst dream came true and we were without a candidate. Do they actually think we wouldn’t come up with another one even better than they last.
It’s desparation time for the Hobamas.
The contrast on how this story is being handled by the MSM/DBM and the Obama campaign as well as other Democrats is revealing of our times. If these same threats were made against Barack Hussein Obama and a Democrat Governor and Senator the MS/DBM and Obama campaign would be all over the story. There would be charges of racism and a radical right-wing, conservative, and hate-filled conspiracy by John McCain, his campaign, and all Republicans inspired by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Jerome Corsi, Ann Coulter, and other conservative talk radio hosts and critics of the annointed One.
These acts of domestic political terrorism comes from the left and they should be held accountable.
Lynn, your right there is a big difference in how we handle things and how the left does.
Cheryl, haha that mae me think of the terrorists that blow themseleves up before they get to their target zone.
Steve, Letter Inspector, yes good point, they are innocent, their enemies never see it coming.
Tom I agree so much, this should always be taken seriously.
And about the man that committed suicide I agree what you said about that too. They would have made that a long trial for many years and then probably had him labeled that he just had a bad day or a poor childhood or something.
Jack, thanks for the information I didn’t know that. Prison….wow, to think that a person already locked up could pull this off is also very alarming.
Mark, that is so true and how stupid they are as well.
I would also hate for anyone on our side to start to hold back out of fear from things like this and there are people that would.
Les, I agree, there is such a huge difference on all levels how this has been handled. All they have had all day in the media is a wait and see about Obama’s VP. It is sickening at it’s worst, the way the media is holding it’s breath and being wasting an entire day on this. Totally sick!