President Donald Trump on Wednesday condemned a series of suspected mail bombing attempts against Democratic officials, saying "threats of political violence of any kind have no place" in the U.S. On Wednesday, law enforcement officials said "potential explosive devices" addressed to former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been intercepted. Other Democratic officials, including Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz and California Rep. Maxine Waters, evacuated their offices. "This egregious conduct is abhorrent," Trump said at a White House bill signing event. The bipartisan legislation the president signed will dedicate more resources to fight the ongoing opioid crisis. Other political leaders, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as well as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, described the actions as "terrorism" in their statements Wednesday. McCarthy tweet The Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan was also evacuated, after a live explosive device and white powder were found, according to the New York Police Department. News network CNN, which Trump has repeatedly attacked as "fake news" and "the enemy of the people," has a bureau in the building. CNN reported that the package found at the Time Warner Center was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan in care of CNN. Trump said in his remarks that he had been briefed by the FBI, Justice Department, Homeland Security Department and Secret Service just before the opioid legislation event. Chief of staff John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, FBI Director Christopher Wray and other officials attended the event, the White House said. "The full weight of the government is being deployed" to track down those responsible for sending the suspected explosives, Trump said.<doc-sep>Who got what, when: A timeline of when bombs were found REFILE-CORRECTING TYPO A member of the New York Police Department bomb squad is pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018. Tom Steyer, co-founder of NextGen Climate Action Committee, attends a "Need To Impeach" event in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018. Steyer plans to spend an additional $10 million on helping Democrats take control of the House by attempting to drive up turnout among infrequent voters motivated by the idea of impeaching President Donald Trump. (CNN) — President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other political leaders on Wednesday denounced the bombs sent to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and CNN’s New York bureau, among other locations. “In these times we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America,” Trump said Wednesday at the White House. The White House called the attempted attacks “despicable.” “The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. Responding to a tweet from Pence, who said the administration condemned the “despicable” actions and that “those responsible will be brought to justice,” Trump said on Twitter earlier, “I agree wholeheartedly!” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California accused the President of being disingenuous in his remarks. In a statement, they said he has “previously condoned physical violence” from Rep. Greg Gianforte, a Montana Republican, who body slammed a reporter last year, neo-Nazis who rioted in Charlottesville, Virginia, resulting in a woman’s death, and Trump supporters who have attacked protesters at his rallies. “President Trump’s words ring hollow until he reverses his statements that condone acts of violence,” the Democratic leadership said of Trump’s remarks in a statement Wednesday. “Time and time again, the President has condoned physical violence and divided Americans with his words and his actions: expressing support for the Congressman who body-slammed a reporter, the neo-Nazis who killed a young woman in Charlottesville, his supporters at rallies who get violent with protestors, dictators around the world who murder their own citizens, and referring to the free press as the enemy of the people.” Former President Bill Clinton expressed gratitude to the Secret Service for responding to the suspicious packages. “Thank you to the @SecretService and all law enforcement agencies who responded to this week’s incidents,” Clinton tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “They work tirelessly to keep our country and communities safe. I am forever grateful for their efforts.” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz – a Florida Democrat whose Sunrise, Florida, office was listed as the return address for the packages, including one that was addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder and was returned to sender – called for the attempted attacks to be “vigorously prosecuted.” “We will not be intimidated by this attempted act of violence,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “This appalling attack on our democracy must be vigorously prosecuted, and I am deeply disturbed by the way my name was used.” New York Democratic politicians condemned the attacks. “This clearly is an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at an afternoon news conference about the package sent to CNN’s office at the Time Warner Center in New York City. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo echoed the mayor, saying, “Terrorism only works if you let it work. We will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives.” National Counterterrorism Center spokesperson Maura Beard tells CNN that officials there have not yet concluded that there is a link to foreign terrorism with the suspicious packages. The Secret Service said Wednesday it intercepted two “suspicious packages” addressed to Obama and Clinton it discovered during “routine mail screening procedures” earlier this week. Bryan Paamann, an FBI special agent in charge of the counterterrorism division in New York, later said the devices inside appeared to be pipe bombs. Pence said in his tweet he was “grateful for swift response” of the Secret Service, FBI and local law enforcement, who are investigating whether the packages intended for Obama and Clinton are connected to the package targeting major Democratic donor George Soros earlier this week. “Let me be clear, we condemn these attempted acts of violence in the strongest possible terms,” Pence said later, speaking at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. The President’s family – first lady Melania Trump, the President’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump and sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump – condemned the threats. “These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Sanders said in a statement. House Speaker Paul Ryan called Wednesday’s attempted attack an “act of terrorism.” “Let me just say something that needs to be said on a day like today,” Ryan told a crowd at a campaign rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin. He shushed the group as they began to chant “Build the wall.” “Did you see the news this morning about these devices?” he asked, as the crowd calmed down. “That is an act of terrorism. There is no place for that in our democracy,” Ryan said. “We reject that, and I just want to say thank God for our law enforcement who is doing this day in and day out to keep us safe.” House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was seriously wounded from a gunshot last summer, said the attempted attacks “are beyond criminal, they are acts of pure terror.” These attempted attacks that have been made are beyond criminal, they are acts of pure terror.<doc-sep>And somehow, Mr. Trump made the day’s news about his own problems with the news media. He called on journalists “to set a civil tone” and to “stop the endless hostility and constant negative and often false attacks and stories.” Then Mr. Trump again directed the crowd’s attention to his bipartisan efforts: “By the way, do you see how nice I’m behaving tonight?” he asked. “Have you ever seen this? We’re all behaving very well!” (Minutes later, the president broached the topic yet again: “I think we will be bipartisan on infrastructure.”) Still, the performance by Mr. Trump and the slate of Wisconsin Republicans who took the stage here served as further confirmation that, with less than two weeks to go until a round of midterm elections in which the leadership of the House is at stake, not even reports of explosive devices could do much to halt months of highly divisive messaging at campaign rallies. Mr. Trump did address the reports in his opening remarks, calling the episodes “an attack on our democracy itself” and promising swift justice. “Such conduct must be fiercely opposed and firmly prosecuted,” the president said. “We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony. We can do it.” Two other Republicans who took the stage here at an airport hangar in the 4,000-person town of Mosinee began their speeches with a short disclaimer — essentially, terrorism is bad — before denouncing Democrats for their immigration policies and the cost of health care.<doc-sep>Law enforcement officials are still investigating at least 12 packages containing possible pipe bombs that were part of attempted attacks targeting high-profile Democrats, including two former presidents, three sitting members of Congress and a billionaire philanthropist. On Friday, the FBI said a further package had been recovered in Florida that was addressed to Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. NYPD confirmed a suspicious package had been found at a Manhattan post office addressed to James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence and critic of President Donald Trump, taking the total number of packages to 12. Many of the packages, which authorities say are being taken seriously and treated as live devices, were addressed to several high-ranking Obama Administration officials, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former CIA Director John Brennan and former Attorney General Eric Holder. By Thursday morning, the FBI confirmed three more packages had been recovered, including two addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden in Delaware and one addressed to actor Robert De Niro in New York City. Miami-Dade Police said Thursday that they were assisting federal partners in an investigation at a U.S. Postal Service mail facility in Opa-locka, Florida. A bomb squad and K-9 unit were involved in the investigation. No one was hurt by the string of alarming incidents carried out two weeks before midterm elections. A Post Office official said at a press conference Thursday that investigators looking for other bombs have found nothing in the last eight hours. Already facing criticism for his disparaging rhetoric about the fourth estate, President Donald Trump told supporters at a Wisconsin rally on Wednesday that the media is partly to blame for societal divisions that spilled into full view this week. The remarks came hours after he told reporters at a White House press briefing that “acts of threats or political violence have no place in the United States of America,” calling for “unity.” “The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories,” Trump said to a cheering crowd. “A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News,” he said in a tweet Thursday morning. “It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!” CNN chief Jeff Zucker weighed in late Wednesday, denouncing remarks made by Trump and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The Trump Administration has frequently sought to undermine the press by calling the media “fake news,” singling out critical journalists and accusing major news outlets of lying. “The president, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand their words matter,” said Zucker, the president of CNN Worldwide. “Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that.” The packages — which have been sent to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia for analysis — were all similar in appearance, the FBI said. Although the motive behind the packages and the identity of those responsible are not yet known, the individual recipients are high-profile Democrats, many of whom have been been critical of the Trump Administration, and a media outlet that is a frequent target of Trump’s ire during rallies and on Twitter. CNN received a further scare Thursday evening when part of the Time Warner Center mall in Manhattan was evacuated as authorities checked out a report of two unattended packages, the Associated Press reported. The Time Warner Center houses CNN headquarters in New York. The New York Police Department later confirmed on Twitter that “the report of a suspicious package at the Time Warner Building has been investigated by NYPD officers and has been deemed SAFE, no hazardous items found.” Here’s what to know about the suspicious packages sent to prominent politicians and CNN this week: Packages were sent to the Obamas, Clintons and other Democrats At least 10 similar packages were sent to prominent Democrats or Democratic supporters and recovered between Oct. 22 and Oct. 25. They were mailed in manila envelopes with six Forever stamps and the Florida address of former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on the return label, containing “potentially destructive devices,” the FBI said. The packages were addressed to liberal philanthropist George Soros, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former CIA Director John Brennan (in care of CNN), former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, California Rep. Maxine Waters, former Vice President Joe Biden and actor Robert De Niro. Brennan is a Trump critic whose security clearance was revoked by the President in August, and De Niro has publicly condemned the president, saying “f**k Trump” at the Tony Awards this year. “This investigation is of the highest priority for the FBI,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “We have committed the full strength of the FBI’s resources and, together with our partners on our Joint Terrorism Task Forces, we will continue to work to identify and arrest whoever is responsible for sending these packages.” The U.S. Secret Service intercepted the suspicious package sent to Clinton’s Chappaqua, New York home late Tuesday night and intercepted a package addressed to Obama on Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. Those packages came just two days after a bomb was found in the mailbox Soros’ home in Bedford, New York. The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screenings as potential explosive devices. There was no risk of Clinton or Obama receiving the packages, the Secret Service said in a statement. At an event in Florida, Clinton told a crowd: “We are fine thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service.” She added: “But it’s a troubling time, isn’t it?” Police officers stand in front of property owned by Hillary and Bill Clinton in Chappaqua, N.Y., on Oct. 24, 2018. Seth Wenig—AP/REX/Shutterstock The packages prompted multiple evacuations The packages set off safety concerns and caused evacuations in political offices around the country Wednesday.<doc-sep>
MOSINEE, Wis.—President Trump on Wednesday condemned political violence and called for a more civil political discourse, while also blaming the news media for “negative and false attacks.” “No nation can succeed that tolerates violence or the threat of violence as a method of political intimidation,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Mosinee, Wis., after a day in which law-enforcement officials found bombs mailed to prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, and to CNN. He said the nation must “stop treating political opponents as being morally defective” and cease “the language of moral condemnation.” “No one should carelessly compare political opponents to historical villains,” he added. Mr. Trump has repeatedly called for the jailing of his opponents, particularly Mrs. Clinton—about whom his crowds at campaign rallies routinely chant, “Lock her up.” At a rally in Houston on Monday, Mr. Trump referred to the Democrats as “a mob.” Last week, he praised a Republican congressman who during his campaign body-slammed a reporter. Mr. Trump on Wednesday made no mention of his own political rhetoric, instead jabbing at the news media, a frequent target at his campaign rallies. “The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and stop the endless hostility,” he said. Some in the crowd chanted “CNN sucks,” a common line at Trump rallies, as Mr. Trump criticized the media. President Trump at Wednesday’s Republican rally in Wisconsin. Some in the crowd chanted “CNN sucks,” a common line at Trump rallies, as Mr. Trump criticized the media. Photo: kevin lamarque/Reuters Mr. Trump, whose previous rhetoric about violence has been criticized by Democrats in the wake of the bomb attempts, acknowledged his different tone on Wednesday evening. “By the way, do you see how nice I’m behaving tonight? Have you ever seen this? We’re all behaving very well,” he said, before pivoting to an attack on Democrats over campaign issues as the crowd chanted: “Build a wall.” Mr. Trump took a tone that was more subdued than usual in his attacks on Democrats over the course of the evening, but kept up his criticism, describing Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin as a “radical far-left” socialist. He repeatedly told the crowd of cheering supporters: “I’m trying to be nice.” Earlier Wednesday, in comments from the White House, Mr. Trump said the “full weight of our government” would be used to “bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice.” Top Democrats said Mr. Trump’s comments fell short. In a joint statement, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Mr. Trump’s words “ring hollow” unless he reverses “his statements that condone acts of violence.” Mr. Trump has drawn criticism for appearing to glorify violence on the campaign trail both in 2016 and since becoming president. He has also struck discordant notes on violence at other times, such as when he blamed “all sides” following the death of a woman during protests in Charlottesville, Va. He has also been criticized for calling the press the “enemy of the people.” CNN was one of the recipients of a bomb Tuesday, along with former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Clinton and other people Mr. Trump has harshly criticized. New York Police Department officers walk outside the Time Warner Center after a pipe bomb was found inside the CNN building in Manhattan. Photo: shannon stapleton/Reuters In a statement, CNN President Jeff Zucker said the White House has shown a “total and complete lack of understanding” about the continued attacks on the media. “The president, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that,” he said. The White House has said that Mr. Trump doesn’t encourage violence and condemns any groups that would engage in or promote violent acts. During the 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump appeared to encourage violence against protesters at his rallies. More recently, he praised Rep. Greg Gianforte (R., Mont.) who, as a candidate in 2017, body-slammed a reporter. “Any guy that can do a body slam, he’s my kind of—he’s my guy,” Mr. Trump said at a rally last week, moving his arms as if performing a body slam. .