Security threat prompts shutdown of Kari Lake campaign headquarters in Phoenix

By David Schwartz and Steve Gorman

PHOENIX (Reuters) -The delivery of an envelope containing a suspicious white powder prompted the Arizona gubernatorial campaign of Republican nominee Kari Lake to shut down its Phoenix headquarters two days before the election, the campaign said in a statement on Sunday.

The envelope, opened by a member of Lake's staff, was one of two confiscated by law enforcement for analysis in Quantico, Virginia, site of an FBI forensics laboratory, after the incident was reported, according to the statement.

The staff member "is currently under medical supervision," the statement said, adding that the campaign was awaiting results of the analysis.

The Phoenix police and fire departments said in separate statements that no one was reported injured. An investigation of "suspicious items located inside the mail" was continuing, police said.

The disruption came at a critical moment for the Lake campaign, locked in a tight race for governor with the Democratic nominee, Katie Hobbs, currently serving as Arizona's secretary of state. Lake, a onetime television news anchor, has embraced former President Donald Trump's false claims of voter fraud and has gained his endorsement.

"Just two days before Election Day, our campaign headquarters remains shut down," the Lake campaign statement said. "Rest assured, we are taking this security threat incredibly seriously."

The FBI's field office in Phoenix said its agents and local law enforcement responded on Sunday morning to "a report of suspicious letters" at the location of the Phoenix campaign headquarters.

Neither the FBI statement, nor those from the Phoenix police of fire departments, referred to Lake or her campaign by name.

Also, the FBI said law enforcement's response came on Sunday, whereas the campaign's statement said the suspicious envelope had been opened "yesterday," or Saturday. There was no immediate explanation for the apparent discrepancy. The fire department said its units were dispatched to the scene about 2 a.m. Sunday.

"Hazardous materials teams, along with surrounding agencies worked together to gather information and mitigate the threat," the fire department said.

Hobbs condemned the behavior directed at her opponent, issuing a statement calling the incident "incredibly concerning," adding, "I am thankful that she (Lake) and her staff were not harmed."

"Political violence, threats, or intimidation have no place in our democracy," Hobbs said.

The incident came nearly two weeks after a burglary of Hobbs' campaign headquarters. A suspect was arrested two days later.

Hobbs' campaign has criticized Lake for failing to condemn threats to election workers and voters, saying the Republican candidate's harsh rhetoric and acceptance of Trump's election falsehoods created conditions for such a burglary to take place.

Lake has called any attempt to blame her campaign for the break-in "absolutely absurd."

At a campaign event last week, she also mocked the recent attack on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband by a hammer-wielding intruder at their San Francisco home.

Although Nancy Pelosi has security around her, "apparently her house doesn't have a lot of protection," Lake said, drawing laughs from a crowd of supporters.

(Reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Daniel Wallis)