Kari Lake’s campaign HQ receives “suspicious” white powder in mail
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Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for Arizona governor, during a press conference in Phoenix in October. Photo: Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images
The campaign headquarters of Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake received an envelope containing "suspicious white powder" on Saturday, according to her campaign spokesperson.
Driving the news: There have been no reports of injury from the received mail, but one staff member is under medical watch. An investigation is ongoing.
What they're saying: Colton Duncan, Lake's campaign spokesperson, said in a statement to Axios that a staffer had opened the envelope that contained white power.
- Duncan said the staff member is "under medical supervision" and that the envelope and an additional piece of mail were "confiscated by law enforcement and sent to professionals at Quantico for examination."
- "Just two days before Election Day, our campaign headquarters remains shut down. We look forward to law enforcement completing their investigation as quickly as possible," Duncan added.
- "Rest assured, we are taking this security threat incredibly seriously and we are thankful for the Phoenix PD, FBI, first responders, bomb squad, and HazMat crews that responded to this incident."
Katie Hobbs, Arizona's Secretary of State and Lake's Democratic opponent, condemned the act, telling CNN in a statement, "The reported incident at Kari Lake’s campaign office is incredibly concerning and I am thankful that she and her staff were not harmed."
- “Political violence, threats, or intimidation have no place in our democracy. I strongly condemn this threatening behavior directed at Lake and her staff.”
- Hobbs' office was burglarized in late October, and a suspect was arrested and charged in connection with the break-in.
A spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department told Fox News that police officers "responded to a found property call at an office building near 40th Street and Camelback Road" and learned of suspicious items inside the mail.
- Additional law enforcement officers responded "to collect the items and secure the area," according to the Phoenix Police Department spokesperson.
- "Early this morning, Sunday, November 6th, the FBI, along with our local law enforcement partners, responded to a report of suspicious letters at an office building near 40th Street and Camelback Road," the FBI National Press Office said in a statement to ABC News. "No further information will be released at this time."
Go deeper: Over 140 threats against election workers recorded in Maricopa County
Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with additional details.
