Letter with powder substance found at church with ties to House Speaker Mike Johnson

BOSSIER PARISH, La. (KSLA/Gray News) - Federal law enforcement is investigating a suspicious letter found at the home church of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

Officials say a letter, previously deemed a ‘suspicious package,’ was found at Cypress Baptist Church on Palmetto Road in Benton. The letter contained a white, powder-like substance.

The church is listed as the business address for Onward Christian Counseling Services, which is owned by Kelly Johnson, wife of Speaker Johnson.

The FBI says field tests conducted on the powder were negative and more testing will be performed at a local lab.

The bureau says “even sending hoax letters is a serious crime.”

The speaker’s office released a statement saying Johnson was aware of the incident Monday afternoon.

“Earlier today, Speaker Johnson was made aware of a suspicious package sent to his home church in Louisiana,” the statement read. “Speaker Johnson and the Johnson family thank U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI, the Louisiana State Police, and the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office for taking swift action and handling the situation professionally. As the investigation is ongoing, we will refer all further questions to law enforcement handling this matter.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, or local police.

The FBI says the investigation is ongoing at this time.

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