Hillary Scholten

Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) on Friday revealed she is the latest victim of a threatening letter claiming to be from the Democratic Socialists of America, condemning the “political intimidation” after a series of other lawmakers and election officials reported receiving similar warnings.

Scholten said the FBI is looking into the incident, and condemned the “threatening” letter sent to her Grand Rapids congressional office, saying it made a “direct and specific reference to an impending ‘civil war’ beginning after the election,” and contained unidentified white powder. The development comes as federal investigators are probing a series of suspicious letters sent to various officials in recent days, often targeting more establishment or centrist politicians ahead of the midterm elections, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

“Threats and extremism are not signs of strength—they are signs of a weak mind and weak character,” Scholten wrote in a post to X. “ Political intimidation has no place in our democracy, and leaders must condemn it, not excuse it. I’ll keep standing up to bullies on the right and the left.”

The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating after a stream of senators, House members, and election officials this week reported receiving similar suspicious letters this week. Listed on some of those letters was a return address for the DSA’s old headquarters, according to CBS News and other outlets. The DSA said that the organization has not occupied that address since 2013 and moved out of the building entirely in January of this year,

Schumer, along with Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Chris Coons (D-DE), ​​are those in the upper chamber who have said their offices were mailed suspicious letters with unknown white substances. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) appear to be among the only Republicans who have reported receiving similar letters.

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House members this week who say they have received suspicious letters include Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), and Eugene Vindman (D-VA).

Investigators are also probing suspicious letters containing a mysterious white powder sent this week to multiple state election officials. States that have reported such incidents include Delaware, Arizona, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Hampshire, Ohio, Mississippi, and South Dakota.