Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi‘s San Francisco district office received a suspicious letter Wednesday, adding her to a growing list of congressional and election offices targeted in a nationwide series of mailings now under federal investigation.
Nicholas Martin, a spokesperson for Pelosi, said everyone at the 90 Seventh St. office was safe and that staff was following established security procedures. The office did not disclose what, if anything, was found inside the letter.
The letter was “consistent with mailings reported by other congressional offices around the country,” Martin said in a statement.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to congressional offices and state election officials in multiple states.
Some of the letters have contained an unknown or white powdery substance, while others have been intercepted before reaching their intended recipients. Federal officials have not identified who is behind the mailings.
The incidents have spread across the country as the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach. Federal officials have warned congressional and election staff to treat suspicious letters and packages as potentially hazardous and follow established safety procedures.
Pelosi is the latest Bay Area member of Congress whose office has been caught up in the investigation.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s Santa Cruz district office received an envelope containing a white powdery substance on Oct. 16, according to a statement from his office. A staffer opened the envelope as part of her normal morning work, then put it in a garbage can, cleared other staff members from the building and called 911.
“Threats, fearmongering, and violence against public servants have become far too common over the past decade and undermine our democracy,” Panetta said in a statement.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s San Jose office also reported receiving a suspicious letter Oct. 16. San Jose police and fire officials responded, and the substance was determined not to be hazardous.
Rep. Ro Khanna’s Santa Clara office in the Bay Area and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier’s office in Walnut Creek also reported suspicious mail.
DeSaulnier said his staff secured an envelope without opening it and contacted local law enforcement and U.S. Capitol Police.
The cases are part of a broader investigation that has included offices of Democratic and Republican members of Congress as well as election officials in numerous states. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said the FBI notified his office that a letter containing a suspicious substance had been intercepted by the Postal Service before reaching his office.
In a statement Wednesday, Pelosi said she was concerned about other members and congressional staff who have experienced similar incidents and thanked the U.S. Capitol Police, San Francisco police and other law enforcement agencies investigating the mailings.
“Speaker Pelosi remains focused on serving the people of San Francisco,” Martin said.
Federal officials have declined to provide a precise number of suspicious mailings or discuss possible connections among the cases while the investigation continues. The Postal Inspection Service has said investigators are working to identify the individual or individuals responsible.
The recent mailings echo incidents before the 2024 election, when more than a dozen state election offices received suspicious packages. In 2023, election offices in several states received white-powder mailings, some of which contained trace amounts of fentanyl and disrupted election work.
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This article originally published at Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco office latest California target of suspicious mailings.