White powder was discovered Friday in an envelope likely addressed to the Manhattan district attorney investigating former President Donald Trump amid reporting that the DA could soon press criminal charges against Trump.
A court official said the powder was discovered around 1 p.m. in the mailroom at District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in an envelope marked “Alvin,” the New York Daily News reported.
The substance was not immediately identified as the scene is being investigated by New York Police Department’s Emergency Service Unit, as well as the New York Department of Environmental Protection Police.
The person who opened the envelope was not exposed, according to police.
Bragg’s office is reportedly investigating Trump over alleged 2016 hush money payments to two women who said they had sex with the former president. Prosecutors are presenting the evidence to a grand jury, which has for days been expected to vote soon on whether a former U.S. president will face criminal charges for the first time in history.
Trump announced without evidence over the weekend that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday and called for supporters to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK.” Over the course of the week, the former president has called Bragg an “ANIMAL,” a “psychopath,” and warned of “potential death & destruction” if he is charged.
In an email to staff last week, Bragg said “we do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office” and “as with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, and speak publicly only when appropriate,” as reported by Politico.
On Tuesday, a bomb threat was made against another courthouse two blocks away, where a hearing on another $250 million lawsuit against Trump was set to begin. The threat was deemed unfounded after the New York State Supreme Court Building was closed and searched.
The Secret Service and multiple other law enforcement agencies have been coordinating security measures for Trump’s potential appearance in court, USA Today reported. The New York Police Department was filmed on Monday putting up steel barricades outside the Manhattan Criminal Court.
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
