Several prominent Democrats and leftist news network CNN were sent suspicious packages between Monday and Tuesday, which appear to have contained explosive devices. The packages seem to have been pipe bombs, and the incidents appear to be related.
The packages were “suspicious” in many ways.
As of this writing, explosive parcels were sent to George Soros in Katonah, New York; Bill and Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, New York; former Vice-president Joe Biden in New Castle, Delaware; fake movie tough guy Robert De Niro in New York City; Barak and Michelle Obama in Washington, D.C.; former Attorney General Eric Holder (which was returned to Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Sunrise, Florida); and Democrat Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who received packages at her homes in Los Angeles and Capitol Heights, Maryland. Former CIA Director John Brennan was sent a package at CNN’s New York offices.
CNN’s New York studios and offices were evacuated for several hours after receiving the package. Wasserman-Schultz’s Florida office had to be evacuated as well. Fox News is reporting that all the packages had a return address affiliated with Wasserman-Schultz’s office. In a statement, Wasserman-Schultz said she was “deeply disturbed by the way my name was used.”
None of the packages have yet exploded, and no one has been hurt, although the FBI is warning that more packages could be forthcoming.
President Trump spoke briefly yesterday about the packages during a bill signing, stating: “The full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice. In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.
Almost on cue, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) issued a joint statement saying, “Trump’s words ring hollow until he reverses his statements that condone acts of violence.” No word from Schumer and Pelosi on whether Maxine Waters should reverse her statements condoning acts of violence.
“Time and time again, the President has condoned physical violence and divided Americans with his words and actions,” Pelosi and Schumer ironically wrote.
In bomb threat #MeToo moments, the office of Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and the offices of the San Diego Tribune were briefly evacuated because of suspicious packages, but these turned out to be false alarms. New York’s Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo announced at a press conference that his office had also received a suspicious package, but that turned out to be false as well.
Hillary Clinton, who two weeks ago claimed that you can’t be civil with Republicans, seemed to quickly change her tune on Wednesday evening.
“But it is a troubling time, isn’t it? And it’s a time of deep divisions. And we have to do everything we can to bring our country together. We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same,” Clinton told supporters.
It’s certainly prudent to allow facts to come in prior to attributing these mailings to any specific party, group, or individual, but some things about the packages themselves are interesting.
According to the U.S. Postal Service Website, “All mail over 13 ounces and that uses only postage stamps as postage (this includes pre-paid Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes and Envelopes) must be presented to an employee at a retail service counter at a Post Office. This is part of ongoing security measures established by the Postal Service, in cooperation with other government agencies, to keep the public, customers, employees and the mail safe.”
If the above is not done, such mail is supposed to be returned to the sender. That this was done only in the case of Eric Holder’s package may say more about the Post Office’s efficiency and adherence to rules than any conspiracy, but it’s still suspicious.
It’s also suspicious that all the packages arrived within a 24-hour period to different parts of the United States. If you’ve ever sent or received a package via the U.S. Postal Service, you know that such timing is difficult to arrange.
On most news sites, the initial photos of the suspicious package sent to CNN have either gone missing or have been redacted with key portions of the addresses blacked out. None of the packages bore any postmark and, in the case of CNN, the package was delivered by a courier.
Although the FBI has characterized the devices as potentially destructive, the New York Post is reporting that neither the CNN bomb nor the one delivered to Soros could have blown up since no blasting cap or other means of detonating the explosive material was found. This may suggest that the devices were built by an amateur.
It also might suggest that the bombs were built with the intention that they not go off.
So, while the various news puppets and other pundits run around blaming President Trump and his rhetoric for inciting such violent actions, it’s prudent not to go too far either way, but to allow the facts to come in. While it’s possible that the devices were sent by a right-wing extremist individual or group, it’s also quite possible (and more plausible) that these “bomb” incidents are an October Surprise cooked up by left-wing elements ahead of the midterms.
Image: screenshot from MSNBC YouTube video of bomb threat
