By Makini Brice and Jonathan Allen
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Police intercepted suspected bombs mailed to former U.S. President Barack Obama, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and other high-profile Democrats, in what New York officials described on Wednesday as an act of terrorism.
With the country deeply polarized, the packages brought a new level of tension to Nov. 6 political contests that will decide whether Democrats can challenge the majorities now held by Trump’s Republicans in Congress.
The CNN bureau in New York also received a device looking like a pipe bomb, leading police to evacuate the building, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said his office also received a suspicious package. CNN reported that Eric Holder, who was U.S. attorney general under Obama, was also among those targeted.
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“This clearly is an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference.
U.S. President Donald Trump condemned what he called “despicable acts” and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
“In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together, and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America,” Trump said at the White House.
“We’re extremely angry, upset and unhappy about what we witnessed this morning, and we will get to the bottom of it,” Trump said.
A similar pipe bomb was delivered earlier this week to the home of George Soros, a major Democratic Party donor.
There has been no claim of responsibility.
All of the targets are frequently disparaged by right-wing critics and Trump, whose spokeswoman condemned the acts.
“Our condemnation of these despicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants. These cowardly acts are unacceptable and won’t be tolerated,” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter.
Alexander Soros, the son of George Soros, said in an opinion piece published by The New York Times that his father had long faced verbal criticism and threats over his involvement in politics, “but something changed in 2016” when Trump was elected.
“Before that, the vitriol he faced was largely confined to the extremist fringes, among white supremacists and nationalists who sought to undermine the very foundations of democracy. But with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, things got worse,” Alexander Soros wrote.
He placed direct responsibility with those who sent the devices, but added: “I cannot see it divorced from the new normal of political demonization that plagues us today.”
PACKAGES RECOVERED
The package to Clinton was found late on Tuesday while the one addressed to Obama was recovered early on Wednesday, both during routine off-site mail screenings, the Secret Service said. Obama and Clinton were not at risk, they said.
Police intercepted what appeared to be a live explosive device and an envelope containing white powder at the Time Warner Center, where the CNN newsroom in New York is based, Police Commissioner James O’Neill told the news conference. Experts were analyzing whether the powder was a dangerous substance, he said.
In the weeks following the attacks of September 11, 2001, anthrax spores were mailed to news media offices and two U.S. senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others.
CNN is a frequent target of Trump, who routinely calls the news media the “enemy of the people” and belittles critical coverage as “fake news.”
Officials said the package received by CNN was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, a periodic guest commentator on the cable network.
Brennan has been an outspoken critic of Trump, calling the president’s performance during a July joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki “nothing short of treasonous.”
Media reported that other mailed devices had also been intercepted, apparently with the return address of U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a former Democratic Party national chairwoman.
Wasserman Schultz’s office was evacuated after a suspicious package arrived in the mail, WFOR-TV in Miami reported, citing Sunrise police. CNN said the package was meant for Holder but sent to the wrong address and returned to Wasserman Schultz’s office.
A source familiar with the matter earlier said a suspicious package addressed to the White House had also been intercepted, but soon after said that information was wrong.
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- A car is pictured in the driveway of the house of Bill and Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
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- A car is pictured in the driveway of the house of Bill and Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
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- Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stands onstage with her husband former President Bill Clinton (L) after speaking during her California primary night rally held in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., June 7, 2016. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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- Former U.S. President Barack Obama gestures at a political rally for California Democratic candidates during an event in Anaheim, California, U.S. September 8, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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- Police stand outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- A U.S. Secret Service police vehicle is parked on the street leading to former President Barack Obama’s home in the Kalorama neighborhood in Washington, D.C., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Gershon Peaks
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- People walk outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Police allow someone though the perimiter outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- People stand outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Evacuees are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Members of the New York Police Department Counter Terrorism Squad are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Members of the New York Police Department are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- A member of the New York Police Department bomb squad is pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Members of the New York Police Department stand guard outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Members of the New York Police Department are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Police allow someone though the perimiter outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Members of the New York Police Department are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Evacuees are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Police are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Law enforcement officers are present at the home of former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in the New York suburb of Chappaqua, New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Segar
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- Members of the New York Police Department walk outside the Time Warner Center after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in Manhattan, New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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- Members of the New York Police Department are pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- (L-R) U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party donor George Soros and former U.S. President Barack Obama are pictured in a combination photograph made from Reuters file photos. REUTERS/Gretchen Ertl/Kamil Krzaczynski/Luke MacGregor/Siphiwe Sibeko/Files
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- Members of the New York Police Department are seen outside the Time Warner Center after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in Manhattan, New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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- A police car is pictured outside the gatehouse of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s house in Chappaqua, New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Segar
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- Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo gives a media briefing outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo gives a media briefing outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs
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- A paramedic is shown outside a building containing the office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the Broward County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad performs a search in Sunrise, Florida, U.S. October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
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- A police dog is pictured outside the office of Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo after a suspicious package was found inside in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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- Sunrise Police cars are shown outside a building containing the office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the Broward County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad performs a search in Sunrise, Florida, U.S. October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
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- A police truck is pictured outside the office of Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo after a suspicious package was found inside in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
(Reporting by Makini Brice and Jonathan Allen; Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu, Mark Hosenball and Susan Heavey in Washington, Gina Cherelus and Gabriella Borter in New York; Additional reporting by Subrat Patnaik in Bengaluru; Writing by Susan Heavey and Dan Trotta; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Rosalba O’Brien)
