March 20, 2016
The sister of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reportedly received a threatening letter in Philadelphia last week demanding that her brother drop out of the 2016 race, according to a source.
Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, who sits in Philadelphia on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third District, allegedly received the letter on Friday and notified authorities of the threat, NJ.com reports.
The incident comes a week after the GOP candidate's son, Eric Trump, received a letter containing a white powder that was later deemed to be a harmless substance. That letter, postmarked from Massachusetts, issued a threat against Trump's five children if he refused to exit the presidential race.
Barry, 78, has not been vocally involved with her brother's campaign during primary season. Donald Trump suggested, howeever, that she would be a "phenomenal" pick to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He later claimed he was only joking, but not before GOP rival Ted Cruz reacted to the idea, calling Barry a "radical pro-abortion extremist" with a history of liberal rulings.
In a statement, the FBI office in Philadelphia said they are aware of the incident and are working with the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshal's Service to investigate the threat.
Trump currently leads the Republican race with 678 delegates, followed by Cruz with 423 and Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 143. To shore up the nomination, Trump needs 1,237 total delegates, with 1,049 available in the remaining Republican primaries.
