Big Sky Times

A recent series of incidents beginning in June involving the delivery of suspicious letters containing white powder has raised concerns among lawmakers and public officials in several states, a June Montana Public Radio report said. Legislators in Montana, Tennessee and Kansas received letters with a Kansas City, Mo., return address, and law enforcement is cautioning other representatives.

"Montana Speaker of the House Matthew Keith Regier and House Majority Leader Sue Vinton have also received suspicious letters containing white powder," Austin Knudsen, Montana attorney general, said in a June 26 Facebook post. "So far, all these letters had a Kansas City return address. Legislators- please be cautious. If you receive one of these letters, do not open it and contact law enforcement."

NBC reported recently that prominent figures such as Regier (R-Dist. 3) and Vinton (R-Billings) were among those who received the letters. The return address on some of the envelopes indicated that they originated from Kansas City, further adding to the perplexity of the situation. Vinton was the fourth Republican state legislator in Montana to receive a letter with a Helena, Mont., return address, yet bearing post markings from Kansas City.

The content and precise intentions of these letters have not been disclosed, but they were described as both vague and threatening, the Montana Free Press said. The list of recipients expanded to include other lawmakers, including House Speaker Matt Regier (R-Kalispell), Speaker Pro Tempore Rhonda Knudsen (R-Culbertson), and House Majority Whip Neil Duram (R-Eureka).

In Kansas, a larger wave of approximately 100 similar letters targeted lawmakers and public officials, a June 27 NPR report said. Fortunately, preliminary tests conducted on the powder did not detect any dangerous toxins shared among the samples. No injuries have been reported thus far in connection with the incidents. Additionally, Republican officials in Tennessee also received similar letters, prompting a temporary lockdown of a legislative office building in Nashville.

 "Preliminary tests have returned from this lab, indicating the substance is presumptively negative for common biological agents of concern," the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a June 16 Facebook post. "Further and more complete testing will be conducted on this sample, as well as on additional letters that have been collected, in an effort to determine the components of the substance."

A statement released to The Hill by Jennifer Easton, spokesperson for the House Republican Caucus, shed some light on the content of the letters. Easton revealed that they contained "obvious threats made by a liberal activist specifically targeting Republicans." But specific details regarding the nature of the threats were not disclosed.