President Trump has said in a tweet sent before dawn on Friday, "Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticise me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of Bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing, yet when I criticise them they go wild and scream, 'it's just not
Presidential!"'
Pipe bombs were sent to Trump critics including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and to former CIA director John Brennan at CNN but didn't explode.
Trump tweeted on Thursday that much of the anger in society is caused by the "Mainstream Media".
Brennan replied Trump should stop blaming others and should "Look in the mirror." Brennan advises Trump to "try to act Presidential".
CNN hasn't responded to messages seeking comment before business hours.
Authorities believe several of the package bombs were processed at a mail facility near Miami. Source: AAP
FBI focus on Florida
US federal authorities investigating the pipe bombs sent to prominent Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump are focusing on Florida, where they believe at least some of 10 packages originated.
A police bomb squad and canine units joined federal investigators on Thursday to examine a sprawling US mail distribution centre at Opa-Locka, northwest of Miami, Miami-Dade County police said.
All the targets were figures frequently maligned by right-wing critics.
They included Democratic Party donor George Soros, former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former attorney-general Eric Holder, former CIA director John Brennan and California Representative Maxine Waters.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said that at least five of the packages bore a return address for the Florida office of US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee.
On Thursday, the investigation widened with the discovery of three additional packages. Two were intended for former vice president Joe Biden in his home state of Delaware and one for actor Robert De Niro in Manhattan.
Authorities believe the packages, which were intercepted before reaching their intended recipients, all went through the US Postal Service at some point, a source said. None detonated and no one has been hurt.
A federal law enforcement source told Reuters the devices were thought to have been fashioned from bomb-making designs widely available on the internet.
Investigators are nevertheless treating the devices as "live" explosives, not a hoax, said James O'Neill, police commissioner of New York City, where two of the parcels have surfaced.
Authorities have branded the parcel bombs an act of terrorism. They were sent less than two weeks before national elections that could alter the balance of power in Washington.
Investigators declined to say whether the devices were built to be functional. Bomb experts and security analysts say that based on their rudimentary construction it appeared they were more likely designed to sow fear rather than to kill.
The parcels each consisted of a manila envelope with a bubble-wrap interior containing "potentially destructive devices," the FBI said. Each was affixed with a computer-printed address label and six "forever" postage stamps, the agency said.
A monitor displays information about suspicious packages as NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan, centre, and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio address the press. Source: Getty Images
The episode sparked an outcry from Trump's critics, who charged that his inflammatory rhetoric against Democrats and the press was creating a climate for politically motivated violence.
After first calling for "unity" and civil discourse on Wednesday, Trump lashed out again Thursday at the "hateful" media. His supporters accused Democrats of unfairly suggesting the president was to blame for the bomb scare.
"Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticise me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of Bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing, yet when I criticise them they go wild and scream, "it's just not Presidential!" Trump said on Twitter on Friday.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombs, and the public was asked to report any tips.
