Suspicious mail sent to Trump, other federal officials

WASHINGTON — Authorities at a Pentagon mail screening facility found two envelopes suspected of containing ricin, a poison made from castor beans, and turned them over to the FBI for further analysis, officials said Tuesday.

One envelope was addressed to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who is traveling in Europe this week, and the other to the Navy’s top officer, Adm. John Richardson, a defense official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly ahead of the FBI’s release of its findings.

Neither envelope entered the Pentagon. The mail screening facility is on the Pentagon grounds but separate from the main building.

Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood said the envelopes had been found Monday.

Another Pentagon spokesman, Col. Rob Manning, said all U.S. Postal Service mail received at the screening facility on Monday is under quarantine and “poses no threat to Pentagon personnel.”

Also on Tuesday, the Secret Service confirmed that a suspicious envelope was sent to President Donald Trump. It was not received at the White House, nor did it ever enter the White House, the agency said. The Secret Service did not speak to the contents of the envelope or where it had been received on Monday.

In addition, a spokeswoman for Republican Sen. Ted Cruz says a package addressed to his Houston campaign headquarters caused a lockdown, which was later lifted.

The Houston Fire Department said two people were taken to a hospital Tuesday after apparently being exposed to a “white powdery substance.” However, Cruz’s spokeswoman, Catherine Frazier, said no one from his staff was taken to a hospital.

The fire department tweeted that tests for hazardous substances were negative.

Frazier said the package was opened in the lobby.