President Donald Trump said that packages containing potential explosive devices and sent to top Democrats and CNN were “abhorrent,” and said threats of acts of political violence “have no place in America.”
“In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together. That is a very bipartisan statement,” he said at the beginning of a White House event to address the opioid crisis.
He said, “we will spare no resources or expense in this effort” to investigate who sent the packages.
“This egregious conduct is abhorrent I everything we hold dear and sacred as Americans,” he said.
Trump referred to “suspicious packages mailed to current and former high ranking government officials” but did not identify the intended recipients by name.
Earlier in the day, CNN evacuated its headquarters in New York after a suspicious package was found in its mailroom. Included in the package was what looked like an explosive device, as well as an envelope with white powder. That was just hours after the Secret Service reported that they intercepted packages meant for former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Other packages were discovered with former Attorney General Eric Holder, billionaire George Soros — a top Democratic donor — and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)
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Authorities were investigating whether the packages were connected. The packages intended for CNN, the Clintons, Obama, Holder and Soros listed Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) as its return address. The components of the devices found also contained similarities.
Trump said that he was briefed on the incidents by the the FBI, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service and said that the “full weight” of the government was being deployed in the investigation.
“We will spare no resources and expense,” Trump said.
Trump is still scheduled to attend a rally on Wednesday in Wisconsin, but it was unclear if he will tone down rhetoric that has targeted Clinton, Obama, Waters and others, as well as CNN.
Trump has repeatedly attacked CNN as fake news, and has referred to the “fake news media” as the “enemy of the American people.”
After his remarks, CNN President Jeff Zucker issued a statement in which he said, “There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media. The president, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand that words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that.”
It was unclear what the motive was of the sender or senders, as authorities did not say whether they had received any kind of note or other message.
At a press conference in front of the Time Warner Center in New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio had a message to “all public officials of all partisan affiliations.”
“Don’t encourage violence. Don’t encourage hatred. Don’t encourage attacks on media,” he said.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was shot when an assailant opened fire on a congressional baseball team practice, wrote on Twitter that he has “experienced first-hand the effects of political violence, and am committed to using my voice to speak out against it wherever I can.
“Those responsible for these evil acts of terror must be hunted down and brought to justice, and I have great confidence that our law enforcement officers will succeed in that mission. As a nation, we must agree that this is a dangerous path and it cannot become the new normal.”
Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign sent out an email to supporters on Wednesday singling out CNN and saying that it was “time for us to give the media another wake-up call from the American people.” It linked to a “media accountability survey.”
“The email went out today unfortunately was a pre-programmed, automated message at was not caught before the news broke,” campaign manager Brad Parscale said. “We apologize for this. We in no way condone violence against anyone who works for CNN, or anyone else.”