The Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters was thrust into a state of high alert Wednesday morning, as a suspicious package containing two vials of blood prompted a lockdown and a full-scale response from the United States Capitol Police (USCP). The incident at the RNC, located in the 300 block of First Street SE, began at approximately 7:45 a.m., according to DC News Now.
Initial reports did not specify the intentions behind the delivery, nor the origin of the blood. However, after the deployment of the Hazardous Incident Response Division, the scene was declared safe, and the package was removed, police reported to NBC News. The RNC lockdown follows historical tensions, only heightened since the unsettling events leading up to, and on January 6, 2021.
While the lockdown has been lifted and roads have been reopened, the unease lingers, with USCP continuing their investigation into this latest threat. "The package contained two vials of blood and was cleared by the Hazardous Incident Response Division," the police told NBC News. As of now, there's no word on whether investigators have taken a suspect into custody.
The RNC has been no stranger to such threats, as it was previously targeted along with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in January 2021, when pipe bombs were discovered at both locations. The incident, which took place on the eve of the Capitol riots, involved the evacuation of then Vice President-elect Kamala Harris from the DNC headquarters, and no arrests have been made in connection to those attempts. This detail provided by CBS News underscores the heightened level of threat assessment that political party headquarters now live under.
Capitol Police spokesperson Brianna Burch reassured the public that their team is investigating not only the source of the package but also the contents within the vials. The source of the blood is unclear and is under investigation, she told CBS News. As the inquiry moves forward, the spectacle of blood vials arriving at the doorstep of the RNC headquarters marks another brushstroke on the canvas of our unsettled political climate, awaiting both clarification and resolution in the days to come.
