A suspicious package was delivered to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon on Sept. 27, prompting an evacuation and investigation, according to a news release from his office. The package had a return address to the ”United States Traitor Elimination Army.” Multiple agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Minnesota State Patrol, are now investigating its origins. The exact contents of the package and how it was discovered remain undisclosed.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon condemned threatening election officials as unacceptable and stated that public servants must be able to perform their duties without fear or intimidation. He emphasized that this incident will not deter their work in delivering another free, fair, accurate, and secure election.
Similar packages have been sent to several elections offices across the country in recent months. Election officials in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wyoming, Oklahoma have also received suspicious envelopes containing white powder with return addresses from the “United States Traitor Elimination Army.” However, no injuries or hazardous materials have been reported so far.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Service are currently working together to determine how many letters were sent and why they were sent. They have described the packages as containing an unknown substance but have not provided further details.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Steve Simon condemned what he called a disturbing trend of threatening actions against election workers leading up to the presidential elections on Nov. 5th.
Simon’s office has been contacted for further comment on this incident.
