Pelosi's office gets suspicious letter as white-powder mailings hit Congress

Rep. Nancy Pelosi's office received "a suspicious letter" on Wednesday, October 21. It appears to be the latest in a series of threatening mailings sent to members of Congress before the midterm elections ¹. A spokesperson said everyone in the office was safe ¹.

The Democrat from California is the former House speaker. Her spokesperson, Nicholas Martin, said the letter was "consistent with mailings reported by other congressional offices" ¹.

A wave across both parties

The offices of more than three dozen members of Congress, from across the political spectrum, have received envelopes containing white powder in recent days ¹. One lawmaker's office said early tests showed the powder was not hazardous ¹.

More than 100 letters thought to contain white powder were reportedly circulating in the U.S. mail system ¹. Election offices around the country have also reported suspicious mail ¹.

The Associated Press reported on October 15 that election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma were evacuated after packages containing powder arrived ². Ohio's Secretary of State said the Postal Service intercepted a package with white powder that was meant for its office ².

Speaker Pelosi remains focused on serving the people of San Francisco and is concerned for the members and staff whose offices have experienced similar incidents

Who is investigating

The FBI, the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating ¹². The FBI declined to confirm "specific instances or letters." It said earlier this week that it is looking into a series of suspicious mailings to addresses nationwide, including secretary of state offices, election offices and congressional offices ¹.

The FBI has said some of the letters contained an unknown substance. It said it is working with its partners to identify the person or people responsible ². No suspect has been named in the coverage we reviewed.

Pelosi's office thanked the Capitol Police, the San Francisco police department and other agencies for investigating what her spokesperson called a "series of intimidation across America" ¹.

any threat or attack on election officials is unacceptable

Why it matters

The mailings are arriving about three weeks before Election Day ². Election workers and staff in congressional offices handle this mail every day, and some of them have had to leave their buildings ².

Officials from both parties and from the Postal Service have condemned the threats ². The country has seen something like this before. In 2023, election offices in six states received white-powder mailings ².

Here is what we do not know. Officials have not said who sent the letters or what the powder is in most cases. Until investigators say so, no one should assume a motive or a sender.

What happens next depends on the investigation. Testing of the powder and tracing of the mail are the key steps. Both are in the hands of federal law enforcement.

The Record

1. Dec 31, 2023Election offices in six states received white-powder mailings in a similar incident in 2023 ².
2. Oct 15, 2026The AP reports that the FBI, Postal Inspection Service and Capitol Police are investigating suspicious mailings. Election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma were evacuated ².
3. Oct 21, 2026Rep. Nancy Pelosi's office receives a suspicious letter. More than three dozen congressional offices have now received white-powder envelopes ¹.

Sources

1. The Guardian, “Nancy Pelosi's office latest recipient of letter containing white powder” (2026-10-21). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/21/nancy-pelosi-office-lett
2. AP via PBS NewsHour, “Authorities investigate letters with suspicious substances sent to congressional, election offices” (2026-10-15). pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/authorities-investigate-letter

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