Washington Reacts To A Flurry Of Suspicious Packages Being Sent To Clintons, Obamas, And CNN
After authorities said they discovered suspicious packages sent to the homes of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to former President Barack Obama, and to CNN in New York, many issued sharp condemnations on the matter, including lawmakers in Washington D.C.
Per previous reporting from the Inquisitr, the packages sent to these public officials’ homes and to the news organization were being investigated by the Secret Service and the FBI. There’s no word yet on whether they’re separate incidents coincidentally occurring on the same day, or if they’re related to a single person or unified group trying to incite fear.
Many in Washington D.C. spoke out on social media right away as soon as news broke about the packages’ appearances. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) sent out a statement over his Twitter account decrying the actions of individuals sending these packages.
“Those behind such reprehensible acts must be brought to justice,” he wrote. “We cannot tolerate any attempt to terrorize public figures. I am grateful to the [Secret Service], Capitol Police, and all law enforcement who guard against these threats.”
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also issued a rebuke to the attacks, according to reporting from National Public Radio.
“We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures,” she said. “These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law”
Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Alabama) also took to Twitter to announce her condemnation of the matter.
“Violence and encouraging violence is NEVER ok,” Sewell wrote. “Not against Republicans, not against Dems, not against journalists, not against anyone. As a country, we have to be better than that.”
DEVELOPING: Suspicious package found near Chappaqua home of Hillary and Bill Clinton; police, FBI investigating. https://t.co/ZsvbCMD4AM pic.twitter.com/nlc9NsBddE
— ABC News (@ABC) October 24, 2018
Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pennsylvania), a candidate for U.S. Senator in his state who touched upon violent rhetoric during a debate appearance last night, also spoke out about the suspicious packages.
“I stand by what I said yesterday: no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, we must all condemn violent acts like this and the dangerous rhetoric that encourages them,” he said in a tweet.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) made certain his feelings on the events was clear in another tweet. “Every American should be angry about these potentially explosive devices targeting U.S. political figures,” Rubio wrote. “We should not ever tolerate terrorism against anyone. Period.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), who was Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running-mate in the 2016 presidential election, issued a direct but forceful rebuke to violence as a means to reach political ends. “Attempting violence against public officials, private citizens, journalists, or anyone has no place in our free and lawful society,” he wrote on Twitter.
Previous reporting on this matter included citations that had stated a similar package had been sent to the White House. Per a statement from the Secret Service on the issue, that reporting was not factual. “Reports of a third intercepted package addressed to the WH are incorrect,” the Secret Service said in a tweet. This report has been updated to reflect those changes.
