A threatening letter that the writer claimed was contaminated with ricin was sent to the Bangor, Maine, residence of Sen. Susan Collins early Monday afternoon, the senator’s communications director, Annie Clark said.
Bangor Police responded to the incident at approximately 1:39 p.m. to investigate the suspicious letter, officials said at a press conference Monday.
The letter was received by Collins’ husband, Tom Daffron, according to Clark.
“Currently, we have no information that would suggest the public at large is in any danger whatsoever,” said Sgt. Wade Betters of Bangor Police.
The local fire department and a HAZMAT team from Orono were called in to assist in the investigation, Sgt. Betters stated.
Bangor Police have not disclosed the contents of the letter, however Clark said that the writer claimed to contaminate the letter with ricin in a series of tweets posted on Monday evening.
“The affected areas have now been cleared, and Senator Collins and Mr. Daffron will be able to remain at home tonight,” said Clark, while noting, “The testing of the letter, as well as the investigation into its origins, remain ongoing.”
Collins has received criticism from her decision to vote for the confirmation of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court on October 6. The senator was widely considered as one of the crucial votes in the confirmation process, and her support of Kavanaugh resulted in being the target of numerous protests.
“He [Kavanaugh] has been an exemplary public servant, judge, teacher, coach, husband, and father,” Collins wrote in a statement Oct. 5, revealing her decision to vote for the newly-appointed associate justice, stating that she hoped Kavanaugh would, “lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court.”
Police have not revealed the motive of the writer who sent the suspicious letter to the Collins’ home.
“We are very grateful for the immediate and professional assistance that we received from the Bangor Police Department, the Maine Crime Lab, the Maine State Police Department, the Capitol Police, the FBI, the Orono Hazmat Unit, the Bangor Fire Department, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,” Sen. Collins said in a statement issued Monday evening. “We feel blessed to live in such a supportive community.”
