On Wednesday morning, a “suspicious package” was discovered near the Republican National Committee’s District of Columbia headquarters, prompting a lockdown of that building until the package was investigated and removed.
The Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, was briefly placed on lockdown Wednesday morning after a suspicious package was discovered.
A police source told CNN that the package contained two vials of blood, a Korean Bible and two ice packs. An all-clear was issued shortly after 9 a.m. ET.
A hazardous materials team is on site, and US Capitol Police is participating in the investigation.
RNC co-chair Michael Whatley, in a statement following the removal of the package, vociferously denounced the incident:
“Today, vials of blood were sent to RNC Headquarters in DC. We are thankful to law enforcement, who responded quickly and ensured everyone’s safety. The lockdown has been cleared and staff has resumed their office duties because we remain unintimidated and undeterred in our efforts to elect President Trump to the White House,” RNC boss Michael Whatley said in a statement hours after the all clear was given.
“This revolting attack comes on the heels of pro-Hamas protestors violently demonstrating on college campuses and deranged Biden supporters physically attacking our campaign volunteers for supporting President Trump,” Whatley added.
The vials were addressed to Trump, one source familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. It was unclear to whom the blood belonged.
There were no immediate reports of any injuries, but a hazmat unit was called to the headquarters and RNC staff were forced to exit the building and wait outside for about an hour.
It’s important to note that blood is required to be treated as a potential biohazard, as it could be carrying a pathogen. As of this writing, there is no indication that the two vials of blood in this package posed any threat.
This event comes on the heels of several recent incidents where suspicious — or odoriferous — packages were delivered, presumably as a form of political protest.
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Other similar incidents have occurred in Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, and California. None of the packages caused any damage or injury.
It’s unclear if the timing of this event was due to the Trump team’s effective takeover of the Republican National Committee headquarters in March. Co-chair Michael Whatley is a vocal Trump supporter, and his co-chair is Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law; and, as noted above, the suspicious package was addressed to Donald Trump.
This is a developing story. We will continue to monitor and bring you updates as events warrant.
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