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RNC headquarters were locked down over vials of blood sent to the building

Updated May 22, 2024 at 13:59 PM ET

The Republican National Committee said its headquarters in Washington, D.C., were placed under lockdown Wednesday morning after vials of blood were sent to the building.

In a statement, the RNC referred to the incident as a "biological attack."

"We are thankful to law enforcement, who responded quickly and ensured everyone's safety," RNC Chair Michael Whatley said in the statement. "The lockdown has been cleared and staff has resumed their office duties because we remain unintimidated and undeterred in our efforts to elect President Trump to the White House."

The office was cordoned off for a couple hours as United States Capitol Police responded to the report of a suspicious package.

The package, which contained two vials of blood, was cleared by the department's Hazardous Incident Response Division, according to the USCP.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Franco Ordoñez is a White House Correspondent for NPR's Washington Desk. Before he came to NPR in 2019, Ordoñez covered the White House for McClatchy. He has also written about diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and immigration, and has been a correspondent in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and Haiti.
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