More Congressional Offices Get Suspicious-Substance Letters, Including Reps. Subramanyam and Pingree, as FBI Investigates Mailings Nationwide

Two more congressional district offices received suspicious letters on Monday, as the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service continue to investigate a wave of mailings sent to members of Congress and state election offices two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) said his district office in Leesburg, Virginia, "received an envelope containing a suspicious substance" and was evacuated. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) said her Portland, Maine, office received a suspicious letter Monday morning that was consistent with letters recently sent to other congressional and election offices.

No injuries have been reported. Federal authorities have not announced an arrest or named a suspect.

Monday's Letters in Virginia and Maine

"I can confirm that my office in Leesburg received an envelope containing a suspicious substance. The office was promptly evacuated," Subramanyam said in a statement posted on his House website. He thanked the Leesburg Police, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue and its hazmat team, and the Capitol Police, and added, "These acts of political intimidation have no place in our country."

Loudoun County Fire and Rescue said the scene "has been deemed safe and the building has been turned over back to the occupants," Loudoun Now reported. Subramanyam's office told the outlet that the powder had preliminarily been found to be non-hazardous.

In Maine, Pingree thanked the Portland police and fire departments and the FBI. "We cannot accept threats and intimidation as a normal part of our politics," she said in a statement reported by WMTW. "Political disagreement is part of a healthy democracy. Threatening the people who keep it running is unacceptable."

Pingree's letter came three days after Republican Sen. Susan Collins' Portland office received a letter with a suspicious substance, WMTW reported.

Where the Suspicious Letters Have Landed

The Digital Free Press first reported on the mailings on Oct. 15 and on letters to the offices of GOP Sens. Ted Cruz, Collins and Mike Rounds on Oct. 18. Since then, House offices across the country have reported letters:

In Illinois, Reps. Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky and Brad Schneider said their district offices received suspicious mail on Friday, FOX 32 Chicago reported. Schneider's office said testing found the substances were not "harmful."

In Massachusetts, the district offices of Reps. Jake Auchincloss, Katherine Clark, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan received suspicious letters Friday, as did Secretary of State Bill Galvin's office, the Boston Globe reported. Moulton's office said police and FBI officials "did not identify any substances of concern."

In California, Rep. Jimmy Panetta said a staffer at his Santa Cruz office opened an envelope containing "a suspicious white powder," and Rep. Zoe Lofgren said her San Jose office received a suspicious letter, KSBW reported. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier said a letter matching the others arrived at his Walnut Creek office and was secured unopened. "Threats and political violence seem to have reached a fever pitch in our country," DeSaulnier said, according to DanvilleSanRamon.com.

In Maryland, Rep. Sarah Elfreth's Columbia office was evacuated Friday after a suspicious letter and substance arrived, the Baltimore Banner reported. In Virginia, Rep. Bobby Scott said the FBI intercepted mail containing a suspicious substance addressed to his district office. "Threats and attempts at intimidation are unacceptable and must not be tolerated," Scott wrote, according to WTKR.

What Investigators Have Said

The FBI has not confirmed individual incidents. In a statement provided to The Maine Wire, the bureau said it and the 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. Some letters contained an unknown substance, and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident."

"We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters," the FBI said.

"Preliminary information suggests there are over 100 letters circulating in the U.S. mail system that apparently contain white powder," ABC News reported last week, citing law enforcement sources. NBC News reported that preliminary testing showed the powder was not hazardous, though additional lab testing continues.

On Friday, Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) asked Postmaster General David Steiner and Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale for a briefing on the mailings. "As the investigation continues, I want to make sure Congress has a clear picture of the threat and of any support the Postal Service needs to address it," Mfume wrote.

In a statement to TDFP on Monday, the FBI's National Press Office said the bureau "is not confirming specific instances or letters," and repeated that it and the 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." The FBI said "some of the letters contained an unknown substance" and that it is "working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters." The U.S. Capitol Police referred TDFP's questions to the FBI.

Sources: Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, statement (Oct. 19, 2026): https://subramanyam.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-subramanyam-issues-statement-suspicious-mail-received-district-office ; Loudoun Now (Oct. 19, 2026): https://www.loudounnow.com/news/crews-investigating-suspicious-letter-at-subramanyams-leesburg-office/article_705a4edb-c997-4c10-90ad-6731a4abfb11.html ; WMTW (Oct. 19, 2026): https://www.wmtw.com/article/chellie-pingree-suspicious-letter-portland-maine/74180699 ; FOX 32 Chicago: https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-congress-suspicious-mail ; Boston Globe (Oct. 16, 2026): https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/10/16/nation/moulton-galvin-suspicious-letter/ ; KSBW: https://www.ksbw.com/article/jimmy-panetta-office-suspicious-package-santa-cruz/74162956 ; DanvilleSanRamon.com (Oct. 17, 2026): https://www.danvillesanramon.com/public-safety/2026/10/17/suspicious-envelope-received-at-rep-desaulniers-walnut-creek-office/ ; Baltimore Banner: https://www.thebanner.com/community/local-news/sarah-elfreth-columbia-office-evacuated-XO4XABSVRFD7HAIN4A7AS5Y3IU/ ; WTKR: https://www.wtkr.com/news/politics/fbi-intercepts-suspicious-mail-addressed-to-rep-bobby-scotts-district-office ; The Maine Wire (FBI statement): https://www.themainewire.com/2026/10/suspicious-letters-sent-to-two-collins-offices-as-federal-authorities-investigate-nationwide-mailings/ ; ABC News: https://abcnews.com/US/feds-investigating-letters-suspicious-substances-multiple-congressional-offices/story?id=137291867 ; NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/authorities-investigate-suspicious-mailings-congressional-offices-rcna603712 ; Rep. Kweisi Mfume, release and letter (Oct. 16, 2026): https://mfume.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mfume-commends-postal-workers-requests-briefing-on-suspicious-mailings-to-congressional-offices