Devices are similar to one found Monday in the mailbox of philanthropist George Soros’s New York home
By:Zolan Kanno-Youngs
The Wall Street Journal
Updated Oct. 24, 2018 10:54 p.m. ET
A series of bombs in manila envelopes with similar address labels were sent to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other prominent Democrats, setting off a nationwide manhunt for the terrorist behind what officials believe was a targeted attack.
A frenzied day of bomb squads and federal investigators swarming sites along the East Coast, including CNN’s Manhattan headquarters, began late Tuesday night, when the U.S. Secret Service discovered a suspicious package containing a pipe bomb at the Clinton residence in Westchester County, N.Y.
Federal officials later found similarly packaged explosives addressed to Mr. Obama’s Washington, D.C., residence and sent to CNN’s headquarters and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Florida office. Two suspicious packages addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters of California were also intercepted.
Officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a photo of one of the packages, saying they were mailed in envelopes with a bubble wrap interior. Computer-printed address labels and six U.S. Postal Service stamps, some depicting the U.S. flag, were affixed to the front. All had a return address for “Debbie Wasserman Shultz,” with her last name misspelled.
Investigators believe the packages came from the same individual or individuals, officials said. As of Wednesday evening, law-enforcement officials said they hadn’t identified any suspects. A federal official described all the devices—none of which exploded—as “very similar in style,” potentially effective but “not sophisticated.”
The packages were similar to one found Monday in the mailbox of the Westchester County, N.Y., home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, a prominent liberal donor, officials said. Authorities detonated that device and the evidence was sent to an FBI laboratory in Virginia, where all the devices are being analyzed.
The string of mail bombs led to tightened security around Washington, D.C., and New York City. It also drew widespread condemnation from both political parties two weeks ahead of the midterm elections.
The full weight of our government is being conducted to bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice,” said President Trump. Mr. Trump, a Republican, added: “We have to unify and send one very clear and strong message that acts of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.”
At a rally Wednesday night in Wisconsin, Mr. Trump condemned political violence and called for a more civil political discourse. He said the nation must “stop treating political opponents as being morally defective,” and blamed the news media for “negative and false attacks.”
Mr. Trump has repeatedly called for the jailing of his opponents, particularly Mrs. Clinton—crowds at his rallies routinely chant “lock her up.” At a rally in Houston on Monday, Mr. Trump referred to the Democrats as “a mob.” Last week, he praised a Republican congressman who during his campaign body-slammed a reporter.
The top Democratic leaders in Congress criticized the president’s comments earlier Wednesday. In a joint statement, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said Mr. Trump’s words “ring hollow” unless he reverses “his statements that condone acts of violence.”
The Secret Service said it had initiated a criminal investigation into the packages sent to Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, both of whom receive Secret Service protection. Mr. Obama is protected as a former president, and Mrs. Clinton remains under protection as a former first lady.
