RNC headquarters plunged into lockdown after vials of blood addressed to Trump
Mr Trump recently took cemented his control of the RNC with its new leadership team consisting of a string of his allies – and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington DC was plunged into lockdown after vials of blood were sent to former president Donald Trump.
US Capitol Police were called to the Republican party’s building at around 7.45am ET on Wednesday morning to a report of a “suspicious package”.
A police spokesperson told The Independent that a package had been sent to the building containing two vials of blood. It was addressed to Mr Trump.
The building was briefly evacuated and a Hazmat team called in, with the USCP urging people to avoid the surrounding area.
The House sergeant at arms also issued a message regarding traffic restrictions “due to law enforcement activity at the RNC”, given the headquarters are directly across the street from US House office buildings and just southeast of the Capitol.
USCP gave the all-clear at the RNC building around two hours later.
“The package was just cleared by our Hazardous Incident Response Division. It contained two vials of blood,” the spokesperson said shortly after 10am.
“The source of the package and its contents will be further investigated.”
No one was injured in the incident. It is not clear who sent the package.
The Independent has contacted the RNC for comment.
Mr Trump recently took charge of the RNC with its new leadership team consisting of a string of his allies – and even family members.
In March, former North Carolina GOP chair and RNC general counsel Michael Whatley was elected as its new chair following the departure of Ronna McDaniel.
Mr Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was also elected vice-chair of the RNC, cementing the Trump family’s control of how Republican campaign cash gets spent. Senior Trump campaign advisor Chris LaCivita is also the RNC chief of staff.
The Republican National Convention will take place in Milwaukee in less than two months, where Mr Trump is set to be announced as his party’s nominee for the third election cycle in a row.
Major protests are expected, with RNC counsel Todd Steggerda asking in a letter to the Secret Service that protesters be kept further back from the site than initially planned, arguing that the first plan “creates an elevated and untenable safety risk to the attending public”.
Associated Press contributed to this report
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments