Politics

'Terrorism,' 'despicable': GOP leaders condemn suspected mail bombs sent to Obama, Clinton and CNN headquarters

Key Points
  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday condemned a series of suspected mail bombs sent to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CNN's headquarters and others as attempted acts of "domestic terrorism."
  • Authorities on Wednesday said that suspicious packages had been found addressed to Obama, Clinton, as well as to former CIA Director John Brennan in care of CNN in New York.
  • Officials said such packages had also been sent to Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under Obama, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks with reporters following the weekly policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol June 26, 2018 in Washington, DC. 
Aaron P. Bernstein | Getty Images

Leading Republicans on Wednesday condemned a series of suspected mail bombs sent to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former CIA chief John Brennan and other critics of President Donald Trump.

"I stand with all Americans in condemning today's attempted acts of domestic terrorism," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.

Vice President Mike Pence, during an event in Scranton, Pennsylvania, said, "These cowardly acts are despicable and have no place in American society."

"I want to assure you we've deployed the full resources of the FBI, the United States Secret Service and they're working very closely with law enforcement officials," Pence said.

Trump tweeted his support for Pence's sentiments.

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Authorities on Wednesday said that suspicious packages had been found addressed to Obama, Clinton, and to Brennan in care of CNN in New York City. Brennan is actually a contributor to CNBC's sister network MSNBC.

Later Wednesday, officials said such packages had also been sent to Eric Holder, who had served as attorney general under Obama, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. A report that such a package was sent to Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris' office in San Diego was later found to be incorrect, according to Harris' office and local police. The boxes police found outside the building that houses her office were not addressed to her and were found to not contain a device of any kind, they said.

All of the intended recipients of the packages have been critical of the Republican Trump.

Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in a tweet, called the suspected bombs "terrorizing acts."

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First lady Melania Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said, "Mrs. Trump condemns all forms of threats and violence, and thanks law enforcement for their heroic efforts."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., in his own tweet denounced the "attempt to terrorize public figures."

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House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., cited the fact that he survived a politically motivated shooting last year as he called the suspected mail bombs "pure terror."

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Both of Trump's adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, whose respective wives have each opened mail that turned out to contain white powder, tweeted condemnations of the new packages being sent.

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