McCain Office Mailed Threat, White Powder

A threatening letter containing an unidentified white powder was received at John McCain’s campaign offices in Denver, Colorado, CBS News has learned.A second letter sent to a McCain campaign office in New Hampshire initially was reported to contain a white substance. Authorities said that was a false alarm and there was no powder in that envelope.At least 19 people were examined at hospitals or were quarantined outside the Colorado office while authorities tried to determine whether the powder was hazardous.Andy Lyon of Parker South Metro Fire Rescue Authority said the return address on the envelope listed the Arapahoe Detention Center and the name of an inmate. He didn’t release the name.Lyon said the first line of the letter used threatening language, but he refused to give any details.McCain’s campaign had said the letter sent to the Manchester, N.H., office also contained a threatening language and white powder.But Malcolm Wiley, a Secret Service spokesman in Colorado, said there was no powder in the New Hampshire envelope. He said he did not know about the content of the letter.Wiley said the letter had a Denver return address, which alarmed staffers in Manchester because they had heard about the Colorado incident.Jim Barnett, McCain’s New England campaign manager, said it’s unusual for the New Hampshire office to get a letter from Denver.“That was really the only suspicious thing about the letter, and our national headquarters advised, out of an abundance of caution for our staff and volunteers, that we have the authorities check it out,” he said. “We did and it was deemed safe.”

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