With the nation on edge from deadly terrorist bombings in Boston and suspicious letters mailed to Washington officials, the White House said Wednesday it’s premature to speculate that America is under attack.
“Before we speculate, before we make connections that we don’t know exist, as the FBI has said, we need to get the facts,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “First things first.”
Pressed as to whether Mr. Obama believes the incidents this week mirror terrorist attacks in 2001, Mr. Carney cautioned against drawing any conclusions about coordinated attacks.
“It has not even been 48 hours,” since the Boston Marathon bombings, Mr. Carney said. “The president has faith in the FBI, and faith in the entire national security and homeland security team. The president is very confident in all of the agencies at the federal level that are involved. He is confident that we’ll find who’s responsible. The top and highest priority of this president is the safety and security of the American people.”
The FBI said Wednesday there is no indication of a connection between the letters and the Boston bombings.
Although the president is pushing hard this week for gun-control legislation and immigration reform, Mr. Carney said the bombings “have his absolute focus.”
SEE ALSO: FBI arrests Mississippi man in ricin-tainted mailings to Obama, senator
The FBI and U.S. Capitol police were investigating Wednesday letters addressed to Mr. Obama and to Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi Republican, that contained a “suspicious substance” that field-tested positive for the poison ricin. The letters were intercepted at off-site mail facilities, a Secret Service spokesman said.
The letter to the White House arrived Tuesday. Authorities evacuated some Senate offices Wednesday as they investigated another report of a suspicious package.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.