South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is one of more than 30 governors across the nation to receive a letter calling for him to step down or be replaced, the State Law Enforcement Division confirms.
The FBI says it doesn't see a threat from the letters, but is warning governors and local law enforcement that the letters could encourage others to be violent.
The letters are from a group called The Guardians of the free Republics. The group's website says it wants to replace the current federal government in a peaceful, non-violent way.
SLED has the letter that was sent to Gov. Sanford, who never received it personally. It wouldn't comment on whether it has made any changes to his security detail.
Former SC Gov. Jim Hodges says it's not unusual for governors to get threats.
"There's cause for concern with any of the threats and I think that SLED and other law enforcement agencies around the country take all those threats very seriously," he says. "Fortunately, most of them turn out to be nothing more than the threat of a crazy person or a crazy group of people but I think law enforcement needs to take every one of them seriously until they find out otherwise."
Gov. Jim Gibbons of Nevada was among those who received the letters.
His chief of staff, Robin Reedy, told CNN the governor received one letter Monday and three more Wednesday, one of those by fax. The group behind the letters does not believe there should be a federal government, Reedy said.
The letters were not handwritten, but did have some handwritten signatures, Reedy told CNN Thursday.
The office had been warned in advance to be on the lookout for the letter, she said.
Gibbons' office stepped up security at the capitol in Carson City after receiving the letters. Everyone had to enter through one entrance and an X-ray machine and metal detector were brought in. Boulders were placed in front of the capitol so vehicles could not drive close to the building.
The governor had not seen the letters himself because he had been in Las Vegas for a few days, Reedy said Thursday.
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