Republican National Committee’s headquarters evacuated after vials of blood are addressed to Trump
WASHINGTON — The Republican National Committee’s headquarters in Washington were briefly evacuated Wednesday as police examined two vials of blood addressed to former President Donald Trump following the presumptive presidential nominee’s takeover of the national party apparatus.
Hazardous materials teams were called in after the vials were discovered, according to the U.S. Capitol Police, who said they would continue to investigate. It is unclear whether anyone has come into contact with the blood and who it belongs to.
The vials were addressed to Trump, according to a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly about it. It was unclear whether the vials came with a message explaining why they were shipped.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley denounced the “abhorrent attack” but provided no further details.
“We are grateful to law enforcement officers who responded quickly and ensured everyone’s safety. The lockdown has been lifted and staff have returned to their office duties as we will not be intimidated or deterred in our efforts to elect President Trump to the White House,” Whatley said in a statement.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned “any kind of threat,” adding, “That has no place in our politics, no place anywhere.”
In a statement on its official social media accounts, the Secret Service described the package as “addressed to a protected individual of the Secret Service” and “non-dangerous,” adding that the situation would be investigated by the Washington field office.
The Metropolitan Police Department and local fire departments referred their comments to the Capitol Police.
Earlier Wednesday, Capitol Police issued a statement advising people to avoid the block where the RNC is located, a short walk southeast of the Capitol. The House Sergeant at Arms, the chief law enforcement and protocol officer of the U.S. House of Representatives, circulated information recommending traffic restrictions in the area “as a result of law enforcement activity at the RNC.”
Trump’s hand-picked leadership — including his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as the party’s national vice chair and former North Carolina Republican Chairman Michael Whatley as chairman of the RNC — recently took over the RNC, completing his takeover of the national party has completed now that he is getting closer. to a third consecutive GOP presidential nomination. A senior adviser to the Trump campaign, Chris LaCivita, has taken over as RNC chief of staff.
Wednesday’s situation comes less than two months after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is expected to become the party’s official 2024 nominee and significant protests are expected. According to a letter sent to the Secret Service last month, RNC counsel Todd Steggerda asked officials to keep protesters further away from the site than originally planned, arguing that an existing plan “poses an increased and unsustainable security risk to the audience creates. ”
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Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina, and Price from New York. Associated Press writers Ashraf Khalil, Alanna Durkin Richer, Seung Min Kim and Colleen Long contributed to this report.