HELENA - More Montana state lawmakers have reported receiving suspicious letters over the last three days – bringing the total to four so far.
On Monday morning, a spokesperson for legislative Republicans said House Majority Leader Rep. Sue Vinton, R-Billings, received an envelope at a Billings post office. He said Vinton did not open the letter and immediately turned it over to the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
It comes after a letter addressed to House Speaker Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, was found at the State Capitol in Helena — stored unopened in the leadership offices and turned in to the Montana Highway Patrol.
The first two suspicious letters – plain white envelopes containing an unknown white powder — were reported on Friday. They were sent to Republican Reps. Neil Duram of Eureka and Rhonda Knudsen of Culbertson.
In a statement, Regier said the letters were “a continuation of the threats and hate directed at legislators during the session.”
“We pray and hope that the white powder is benign while we await test results,” he said. “Just as we stood firm during the session, we will not be threatened or distracted now. We are in tumultuous times and House leadership will continue our objective to protect Montanans' freedom and safety no matter what cowardly threats are directed at us.”
The letters appear very similar to ones received by more than 100 lawmakers and other public officials in Kansas earlier this month. Lawmakers in Tennessee also reported receiving letters with white powder at their offices last week. So far, it appears all of the powder that’s been tested has been harmless.
The Montana Department of Justice says its Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is supporting local law enforcement who have taken custody of the envelopes.
“This appears to be a deliberate attempt to deliberately stoke public fear and interrupt our government process,” said DCI Administrator Bryan Lockerby in a statement. “We’re working very closely with the FBI and our local law enforcement to ensure the safety of our elected officials and the public."
Because these letters were sent through the U.S. Mail, DOJ says the federal government has primary jurisdiction on the investigation.
