Photos: Ethan Miller, Mike Coppola/Getty Images
The U.S. Secret Service announced Wednesday that it has intercepted two explosive devices sent to the home of Hillary and Bill Clinton and the office of Barack Obama.
The big picture: The revelation comes two days after a similar explosive device was found in the mailbox of liberal philanthropist George Soros. CNN's New York headquarters and the Florida office of former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz were also evacuated Wednesday after receiving suspicious packages. The Secret Service has not revealed whether the incidents are related or whether they came from the same source.
Statement from USSS:
"The U.S. Secret Service has intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees.
Late on October 23, 2018, the Secret Service recovered a single package addressed to Former First Lady Hillary Clinton in Westchester County, New York. Early this morning, October 24, 2018, a second package addressed to Former President Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, DC.
The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.
The Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible."
Statement from White House
“We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.”
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that a bomb was sent to the home of Barack and Michelle Obama. It has been updated to reflect that the bomb was sent to Barack Obama's office in Washington, D.C., not his home.