No substances found in 'suspicious envelope' mailed to Kari Lake's campaign headquarters, PD says

PHOENIX - Phoenix Police, the FBI and bomb squad units were called after a "suspicious envelope" containing white powder was allegedly sent to the campaign headquarters of Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for Arizona governor.

Nearly a week later on Nov. 11, police say after an investigation and lab test, a substance was not found inside the envelope.

 "The state lab tested the items turned over to them regarding incident #2022-1665892 and has determined there was no substance inside," Phoenix Police said.

What happened?

Police say first responders were called at around 10 p.m. on Nov. 5 to an office building near 40th Street and Camelback because of "suspicious items," but did not confirm that it happened at Lake's headquarters.

The night before, a volunteer had reportedly opened an envelope containing a white powdery substance that looked like baking flour and a letter with vulgar words inside.

A Lake campaign spokesperson told FOX 10 that the envelopes had been sent to their office and that a volunteer had opened it to discover a "suspicious white powder" inside.  

That same volunteer reportedly found two more envelopes that looked like the first one, and police were not called until the head of security learned about the letters the next day.

"He told police the letters were unopened and the seal was intact but he said he felt a powdery substance inside the envelope. That is when he called police," read a statement from Phoenix PD.

A lab analysis revealed no powder or any other harmful substances inside the envelope, but it did contain vulgar statements, police said.

The campaign headquarters was shut down just two days before Election Day.

No one was injured, and officers are still investigating.

Statements released

Lake's campaign released a statement on the incident, saying in full, "Yesterday, a member of the Kari Lake staff opened an envelope delivered to our campaign office that contained suspicious white powder. It was one of two envelopes that were confiscated by law enforcement and sent to professionals at Quantico for examination, and we are awaiting details. The staff member is currently under medical supervision. Just two days before Election Day, our campaign headquarters remains shut down. We look forward to law enforcement completing their investigation as quickly as possible. Rest assured, we are taking this security threat incredibly seriously and we are thankful for the Phoenix PD, FBI, first responders, bomb squad, and HazMat crews that responded to this incident. In the meantime, know that our resolve has never been higher and we cannot be intimidated. We continue to push full speed ahead to win this election on Tuesday."

The campaign for Katie Hobbs, Lake's Democratic opponent, also released a statement.

"The reported incident at Kari Lake’s campaign office is incredibly concerning and I am thankful that she and her staff were not harmed. Political violence, threats, or intimidation have no place in our democracy. I strongly condemn this threatening behavior directed at Lake and her staff," Hobbs' campaign said.

On Oct. 25, Hobbs' campaign office in central Phoenix was reportedly broken into by 32-year-old Daniel Mota Dos Reis.