BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A threatening letter sent to the home of Republican Sen. Susan Collins that claimed to contain deadly ricin specifically mentioned her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, her husband said.
Thomas Daffron, who opened the letter Monday, said the writer claimed the letter was tainted with ricin residue.
Collins, who was in Washington at the time, told WABI-TV that she learned of the letter in photos sent from her husband. Daffron and the couple’s Labrador retriever, Pepper, were both quarantined for a time.
They were allowed to stay in the home, joined by Collins, after preliminary tests showed there was no public threat.
Collins and her staff have been subjected to threats over her decision to back Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court.
“I will not live in fear. I will not be intimidated. I’m going to continue to do what I think is right for the people of the state whom I work very hard for, and for our nation,” she said.
Daffron said that the letter was addressed to him but that it contained vitriol directed at his wife. He put the letter in a plastic envelope and dialed 911 after he saw the word “ricin,” he said.
An investigation continues. Bangor police, U.S. Capitol police and the FBI declined to provide any updates, saying they can’t comment on active investigations.
Well, I sure hope whoever wrote that letter gets charged and convicted because stuff like this has no place in politics. And what’s more, he or she really hurts the cause of progressives terribly. Collins loves playing the victim, and this just feeds into that narrative. It also kills any chance of continued protests at her home (they were on hold anyway as everyone works for the midterms).
What makes you think it was from anyone on the left?
That sounds like pure unadulterated right winger to me.
I hope whomever did this is prosecuted. I think the public deserves to understand more about the content of the letter to understand the threat.
Russian letter writers I am sure
Well, at least one woman gets a real FBI investigation…