Suspicious Envelope Found at Speaker Johnson’s Benton Church

Yesterday (2/19/24) social media was all abuzz with rumors surrounding Cypress Baptist Church being surrounded by police.

The church, just south of Benton is the home church for the family of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mike Johnson. Johnson's wife works at the church as a counselor. According to statements from the FBI an envelope with a powdered substance of some kind was found to be on the property of the church.

It's not clear who exactly found the envelope, or if it arrived via U.S. Mail. So far, according to those investigating this incident the powder has been sent for testing, but there has been no answer yet as to what it was.

The FBI and other agencies are working tirelessly to figure out who did this and why.

Late yesterday the office of Mike Johnson released this statement yesterday:

“Earlier today, Speaker Johnson was made aware of a suspicious package sent to his home church in Louisiana. 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.”

This incident is still under investigation. The FBI has stated that even if this is a hoax, it is still considered a serious crime. This article will be updated as more information is forthcoming.