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Miniature ballot box with and image of the Colorado state flag on a red background with slips of paper representing ballots

Suspicious package sent to Colorado secretary of state under FBI investigation

© Baris-Ozer - iStock-1420488382

Quentin Young

(Colorado Newsline) A suspicious package was sent to the Colorado secretary of state but was intercepted at a mail facility in Denver Tuesday. The package contained a white powder that investigators say was harmless, according to a press release from the secretary’s office.

The incident mirrored several cases on Monday of election officials in other states receiving suspicious packages, including in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wyoming

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Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold - public domain

“We cannot tolerate threats to election officials and public servants,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement. “These threatening mailings are unacceptable and we must condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms.”

The package was addressed to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office with a “U.S. Traitor Elimination Army” return address. It is being investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Colorado State Patrol.

Similar packages in other states caused temporary disruptions, such as in Kansas and Iowa, where state offices were evacuated after the mailings were discovered.

Election officials and experts have repeatedly warned that threats of political violence would be a feature of the 2024 election. Griswold, a Democrat who has been outspoken in debunking election misinformation, has been a frequent target of threats


Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com. Follow Colorado Newsline on Facebook and X.