John Cornyn's Office Mailed Suspicious Packages, Bomb Squad Detonates Devices: Report

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — A suspicious package delivered to Sen. John Cornyn's suburban Dallas office Wednesday triggered an evacuation of the top two floors of the sprawling building where the office is located, police said. It was later deemed not to be a threat.

The package was delivered about 10:30 a.m. to Cornyn's 11th floor office in Farmers Branch, Deputy Police Chief Mark Young said.

Police were called and officers evacuated the building's 10th and 11th floors as Texas Department of Public Safety bomb experts examined the contents of the 14-inch-long tan box.

The box had a business-size envelope on the front and contained "miscellaneous cassette tapes and film," Young said. He did not know what was on the tapes, but said the bomb-disposal crew deemed them no threat.

"I don't know why they thought it was suspicious," Young said.

The box and its contents were taken to a nearby vacant lot and blown up as a precaution, he said.

No arrests have been made, but Young said the envelope on the front of the box contained a return address and an investigation was ongoing.

Cornyn's press secretary, Jessica Sandlin, confirmed the incident occurred but had no other comment.

Comments

[uh clem]

12:47 PM on 01/27/2011

"I don't know why they thought it was suspicious," Young said.

It's good fear mongering material.

[Mr MOTO]

12:43 PM on 01/27/2011

Voicemail Threat Made Against Maine GOP Chair

http://www­.myfoxmain­e.com/news­/Voicemail­-Threat-Ma­de-Against­-Maine-GOP­-Chair-113­591794.htm­l

[Pundit Commentator]

03:57 AM on 01/27/2011

Glad nobody's hurt. I can understand the staff freaking out. Still, blowing up the case seems like an overreaction once it's already been determined there was no threat.

[Jim Pasterczyk]

02:50 AM on 01/27/2011

Perhaps they were trying to make themselves out as the victims of some alleged terrorist plot?

[sibyl9]

09:57 PM on 01/26/2011

Oh no, it's the free hydroxitone packets!

[Puller58]

08:26 PM on 01/26/2011

Bottom line:  Regardless of your politics, once you grab a gun or mail a bomb, you've discredited yourself.

[Paul Easter]

06:24 PM on 01/26/2011

http://www.nbcdfw.com/

8 stories about football, nothing about this.

[Paul Easter]

06:17 PM on 01/26/2011

...it was later discovered to be math and science books, but not having ever seen any of these before, his staff decided they were dangerous.

[rkzrb]

05:59 PM on 01/26/2011

THERE IS NOTHING ON CBS 11 (DALLAS) WEB SITE ABOUT THIS STORY

[NoMercy]

06:11 PM on 01/26/2011

Probably because there is no story.

But listen to Rush et al. tomorrow - there'll be a story.

[shiloh2020]

05:58 PM on 01/26/2011

Nothing but tape and film. That was all.

[shiloh2020]

05:57 PM on 01/26/2011

Deputy Police Chief Mark Young says officers evacuated the 10th and 11th floor, the top two floors of the sprawling office building, as bomb experts from the Texas Department of Public Safety examined the contents of the 14-inch-long tan box. They deemed the tapes and films inside posed no threat, but Young said they were taken to a nearby vacant lot and blown up anyway.

Young said no arrests have been made, but the investigation continues.

[NoMercy]

06:12 PM on 01/26/2011

Strange story. I don't believe they would blow things up that were already deemed no threat.

[Coyote50]

06:42 PM on 01/26/2011

That makes no sense. Tapes and films? Sent by whom? Very strange - or are they all just getting paranoid, which I wouldn't blame them for.

[shiloh2020]

06:03 PM on 01/26/2011

Total nonsense.

[MOHABA]

05:43 PM on 01/26/2011

Lib***** are so predictable.

If this was a dem rep they would be screaming about TeaBaggers and Sarah Palins Farmville page.

Since it's a Republican now it's just a hoax.

Libs are so predictable, so pathetic.

[bmc0718]

05:59 PM on 01/26/2011

Guess you are too busy riding your high horse to read any number of posts, because there are SEVERAL of us who are saying that it's a bad thing regardless of the party affiliation.

But then again, I guess I should expect that...

[MOHABA]

06:19 PM on 01/26/2011

You are way outnumbered. See NoMercy for validation.

I agree it's a bad thing..but I was pointing out the hypocrisy.

[NoMercy]

05:59 PM on 01/26/2011

It was not a hoax, it was pure paranoia, or political oportunism - take your pick.

[rowf]

08:03 PM on 01/26/2011

With Cornyn, opportunism comes to mind.

[Lucky123]

05:42 PM on 01/26/2011

"Hey, do me a favor, okay?"

"Sure. Anything Senator. What?"

"The GOP needs some positive PR to fall our way."

"Wonderful! What do you have in mind? Are you going to present some big ideas on how to fix the economy? Create jobs? Lower the deficit without squeezing the poor and the needy?"

"No, none of that. I'm thinking we play the victim card. Can you have someone in your office mail me a couple of 'suspiciou­s' packages?"

"Excuse me, sir? I don't know if I understand­?"

"Just a couple weird shaped boxes, wrapped haphazardl­y. Maybe make the return address San Francisco. From 'Karl Marx', or someone with a Muslim-sou­nding."

"Okay...What do you want inside?"

"Doesn't matter. Nothing sharp, though. Sand. Talcum powder. Paper shreds. I'm gonna call it in to the bomb squad and have them blow it up. Make it look like people are out to get us, instead of the other way around."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Sure as shoot. Now, get going. Oh, and unless you want your government funded health care to end, we never had this conversati­on."

[Coyote50]

06:46 PM on 01/26/2011

Too cynical. If it turns out it was nothing, I would say that this is a result of the horrible atmosphere and people in public office being paranoid -- for good reason!

[NoMercy]

07:03 PM on 01/26/2011

You aren't cynical enough yet.

give it a decade.

[Lucky123]

07:32 PM on 01/26/2011

It was exactly that. Nothing.

And if this same scenario played out with a Democrat, the right wing noise makers would be howling about it nonstop.

[Gin1234]

05:37 PM on 01/26/2011

They blew up the chocolate chip cookies I baked for him?