(Philadelphia, PA) — The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is pressing for answers after the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) refused to provide any information sought in a subpoena regarding anonymous death threats against Donald Trump supporters sent in the U.S. Mail. The Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted PILF’s request earlier this month to subpoena law enforcement agencies and individuals to discover any information pertaining to the culprits behind the menacing letters. The USPIS refused to release documents to the lawyers for the victims.
“Trump supporters received explicit, graphic death threats by mail. So far, our discovery has revealed that nobody responsible seemed to care,” said PILF President J. Christian Adams. “Responses from the Pennsylvania State Police explicitly say they didn’t even commence an investigation into the politically motivated death threats.”
The letters were sent via the U.S. Postal Service and contained disturbing messages like “We know where you live” and “your property, your family may be impacted, your cat may get shot.”
When PILF served subpoenas on a variety of Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies with oversight authority, responses indicated they did nothing to investigate the death threats against scores of Trump supporters. The response from the Pennsylvania State Police confirms they never opened a case and told the plaintiffs to contact local police departments instead.
“This is a shocking failure of state and federal law enforcement to carry out their duties to ensure the safety of the public and protect the voting franchise,” said Hans von Spakovsky, Chairman of PILF’s Board of Directors. “Federal and state laws prohibit voter intimidation. The fact that the Postal Service and Pennsylvania authorities have done nothing to investigate these dangerous threats made against voters is outrageous.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Case No. 2:25-cv-02208), alleges violations of Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. It seeks injunctive relief and permanent protection for the plaintiffs and others targeted in what PILF describes as a coordinated campaign of voter intimidation. PILF is conducting discovery to find the identity of the John Doe defendants and has announced a $2,000 reward for information leading to the identity of the perpetrators.
Attorneys for PILF are Kaylan Phillips, J. Christian Adams, and Joe Nixon. Philadelphia-based Linda Kerns serves as local counsel. The case is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Case Number 2:25-cv-02208).
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Douglas Blair 503-956-9899 dblair@publicinterestlegal.org
Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections. PILF has brought lawsuits and won victories in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and across the United States.
