A package containing a suspicious white substance was sent to the office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, prompting a partial evacuation of the county courthouse, where Willis works, and a full-scale hazmat response.
Within 30 minutes of the parcel's discovery Friday afternoon, Homeland Security agents and hazmat units determined that the powder in question was probably either a starch or salt, according to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department.
AFRD responded to reports of a white substance found today in a package @ Fulton County Courthouse. Four employees showed symptoms & were treated/transported. Homeland security & hazmat teams confirmed substance was likely salt/starch. Investigation now in law enforcement hands. pic.twitter.com/9INSEJAcAO
— Atlanta Fire Rescue (@ATLFireRescue) March 21, 2025
The temporary lockdown was quickly lifted after authorities marked the material as not harmful. However, four people complaining of headaches and dizziness were still transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation as a precautionary measure.
"Due to the fact that they were initially giving some signs and symptoms of some type of exposure, we went ahead with a full hazmat response," Atlanta Fire Battalion Chief Chris Slatton said on WSB-TV.
It's not clear if any agency is looking into the matter as a potential crime. The Fulton County Sheriff's Office, which oversees courthouse security, isn't investigating the incident, a spokesperson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Slatton said he didn't know exactly to whom the letter was addressed—only that it arrived at the DA's office. When asked about a motive, Slatton deferred, "That's for the law enforcement."
"The District Attorney and her staff greatly appreciate the quick and effective response by Atlanta and Fulton County agencies to the scene to protect our colleagues and the public," a Willis representative told reporters, per a press statement.
Willis is currently awaiting the Georgia Supreme Court's decision on whether or not to take up her appeal of the state appellate court's disqualification ruling. Georgia's Court of Appeals had kicked Willis off the Trump election interference case in December, finding that her undisclosed affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade created an "appearance of impropriety."
Meanwhile, Willis owes one of President Donald Trump's co-defendants over $54,000 in attorney's fees for violating Georgia's open records law. She was also ordered to turn over all documents cited in the open records lawsuit brought by criminal defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant.
Proud that we have judges willing to hold people in power accountable when they ignore the law!!!! #faniwillis #openrecords #fultoncounty https://t.co/r1FFPMFf6J
— Ashleigh Merchant (@AshleighMerchan) March 14, 2025
The records Merchant requested include non-disclosure agreements that Willis staffers were required to sign and receipts for the Democrat DA's contract with a New York-based "media monitoring service."
In mid-March, a Fulton County judge found that her repeated failures to comply with the record requests were "intentional," "substantially groundless," and "vexatious." Willis was "openly hostile" to Merchant, and testimony showed that Merchant's inquiries were "handled differently than other requests," the court order says.
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