Cops Have News on 'Suspicious' Envelopes at Lake Campaign HQ

UPDATE Nov 12, 2022 6:00 AM CST

"No substance inside." That's the final word from the Phoenix Police Department over "suspicious" envelopes confiscated last week from the campaign headquarters of Kari Lake, the GOP candidate for Arizona governor, reports KTAR. A police spokeswoman says items taken by authorities from Lake's HQ, after reports of a staffer opening an envelope and finding a white powder inside, were tested by a state lab and turned up nothing. A statement from Lake's head of security cited by ABC15 clarifies the situation, noting that the letter opened by the staffer was thrown out by mistake, but that it had arrived with two others, all three without a return address. It was those other two letters that authorities sent out for examination in the name of caution, the statement notes, adding, "We have since learned that those two remaining letters had no substances inside as the first did."

Nov 7, 2022 12:30 AM CST

A staffer for Kari Lake's gubernatorial campaign is under medical supervision after opening a "suspicious" envelope containing white powder Sunday at the campaign headquarters. Lake, the GOP nominee for Arizona governor, told reporters she and her campaign have been "threatened many times," adding, "We're in dangerous times." A law enforcement source tells CNN the suspicious materials found at the Phoenix campaign HQ will be tested at an Arizona lab. "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," a Lake campaign spokesperson says.

"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," says another campaign rep, per the AP. The current Arizona Secretary of State, Katie Hobbs, who is the Democrat nominee for governor of the state, said Sunday that the incident was "incredibly concerning." "Political violence, threats, or intimidation have no place in our democracy,” Hobbs said in a statement. “I strongly condemn this threatening behavior directed at Lake and her staff." Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, also a Democrat, similarly called the incident "horrible" and expressed his hope that whomever is responsible will be uncovered and prosecuted. (More Arizona stories.)