Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced that over the weekend around 100 letters containing suspicious white powder had been sent to Republican members of Kansas’ legislature and the Republican Attorney General of the state.
KBI reported on Friday that 30 suspicious letters were received in the state. However, by Sunday that number had risen to 100.
The powder was sent to Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, Kansas House Speaker Carrie Rahfaldt and other Republican legislators.
The KBI released a statement stating that preliminary tests by a lab that specializes in biological samples have shown “the substance to be presumptively positive for common biological agents.”
The agency said that “Further testing and more comprehensive testing will be performed on this sample as well as additional letters collected in order to determine the component of the substance.”
According to the letter that came with the white powder, it was a “gift” signed by “your secret admirer” to “honor recent achievements.”
The sender also added, “Don’t choke on your dreams.”
The investigation of the nearly 100 suspicious letters containing white powder is taking place during the political battles between the Republican-led state legislature and the Democrat Governor. Laura Kelly.
As CNN detailed:
According to Owens the state legislature overrode Kelly’s nine vetoes in this year. This included a bill that would have prohibited transgender women athletes from participating on teams based on their gender, from kindergarten to college. Another bill, dubbed “Women’s Bill of Rights”, defines sex as only the assigned one at birth.
Kansas Senator Molly Baumgardner, (R), who has received one of these letters, believes Kansas Republicans have been “targeted”.
Baumgardner, speaking to KMBC Friday, said: “We are wasting our best resources because someone –or a group — is very intentionally trying to make a statement.” “Kansas legislators who are Republican are targeted. “There appears to be a message.”
Everyone must be concerned. “Everyone must take this threat and any future threats very seriously,” she said.
Kansas Rep. Stephen Owns said that the sender used a church’s return address to trick the recipients into opening a letter.
Owens stated that the letter was sent with a very specific purpose: to make us open it.
“There is a question as to whether it could be related to some of the vetoes we overrode. He added that it’s terrifying to consider that someone can be targeted because of their political beliefs.
Owens, however, maintained that the letter would not deter him or his colleagues from pursuing legislative goals.
“Violence, acts of violence and threat do nothing. They don’t change anyone’s mind. Owens said that this only strengthens his resolve and that of my colleagues, as well as that of our party, to continue doing the work we are doing.
The KBI stated that the letters did not cause any injuries, but asked all to “remain vigilant when handling mail.”
