Suspicious packages that were addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden and actor Robert De Niro were intercepted by investigators on Oct. 25.
Those packages, enclosed in manila envelopes with bubble-wrap interiors, were affixed with computer-printed address labels and six Forever stamps, and bore the return address of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).
Authorities are still investigating the packages that “contain potentially destructive devices” and appear to resemble bombs, although it hasn’t been publicly confirmed if the contents are indeed explosive. Other suspicious packages have been seized in New York, Washington, Florida, and California.
Meanwhile, New York police responded to a reported suspicious package at the restaurant owned by De Niro in the city. The restaurant is located on Greenwich Street in the fashionable Tribeca area of Lower Manhattan.
A WNBC reporter, who was at the scene, shared on Twitter that many of the surrounding streets had been closed.
Trump Urges Civility
The White House has condemned the attacks aimed at Democrats and other perceived foes of the Trump administration.“My highest duty, as you know, as president is to keep America safe,” he told the crowd on Oct. 24.“The federal government is conducting an aggressive investigation and we will find those responsible and we will bring them to justice, hopefully very quickly.”
Trump said any acts of political violence or threats are an attack on “democracy itself.” He said no nation can succeed that tolerates such actions.
“Such conduct must be fiercely opposed and firmly prosecuted. We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony. We can do it. It will happen,” he said.
He also called for both sides of the aisle to unify, instead of inciting violence.
“Those engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective. ... No one should carelessly compare political opponents to historical villains, which is done often. We should not mob people in public spaces or destroy public property,” the president said.
“It is essential for our democracy to draw a sharp contrast between the two different platforms. ... We need more, not less debate about policies, issues in our country. But what we can’t do is let our disagreements about matters of policy tear us apart as a country.”