![]() ![]() “Violence and acts of violence and threats do absolutely nothing, nothing to change one’s perspective. ![]() “It was very deliberate, very intentional to get us to open the letters,” Owens said.ĭespite the letters, Owens says his resolve and that of his Republican colleagues will not waver. Owens opened the letter thinking it was from one of his constituents because the return address on the envelope was for a church in his district, he said. She noted the return address on the envelope she received included the name of a transgender woman who died. “It’s really terrifying to think that because of someone’s political beliefs that they can be a target,” he said.īlew also believes she and others who received the letters may have been targeted because of the move to override the vetoes. “There’s a question whether maybe it’s related to some of those vetoes that we overrode,” Owens said of the letters. The state legislature has voted to override nine of Kelly’s vetoes this year, according to Owens, including one on a bill banning transgender female athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender from kindergarten through college, and another bill dubbed the “Women’s Bill of Rights” that defines an individual’s sex only as the one assigned at birth. The investigation comes amid political battles between the state’s Republican-led House and Senate and Democratic Gov. The KBI has not released information on the motive behind the letters. Kansas State Representative Tory Marie Blew State Representative Tory Marie Blew shared photos of the law enforcement response to recover the letter she received. The letter read, in part, “it’s important not to choke on your ambition,” and was signed “your secret despirer,” according to a copy Owens shared with CNN. Stephen Owens said he also received one of the letters and believes the others who received them are fellow Republicans. Hawkins, a Republican, received one of the letters, his spokesperson Carrie Rahfaldt said. No injuries have been reported, the KBI and a spokesperson for state House Speaker Daniel Hawkins said. “Further and more complete testing will be conducted on this sample, as well as on additional letters that have been collected, in an effort to determine the components of the substance,” the bureau said. ![]() Preliminary tests on a small sample of the letters show “the substance is presumptively negative for common biological agents of concern,” the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Sunday. Approximately 100 letters containing a white powder have been received by state legislators and public officials across Kansas, officials said, setting off an investigation that includes state and federal agencies. ![]()
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