The Trump-Vance transition team said Wednesday that several of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and administration appointees “were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them” Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
“These attacks ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting’. In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted,” Karoline Leavitt, who will serve as Trump’s press secretary, said in a statement.
“President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.”
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The FBI said in a statement that it was across the issue.
“The FBI is aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners.
“We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”
A federal law enforcement source said none of those targeted were protectees of the US Secret Service.
Swatting is a criminal hoax that involves falsely reporting a crime, such as a mass shooting or bomb threat, with the intention of getting police to arrive at a certain location.
In an era of highly charged partisan politics, these types of threats have targeted a wide span of ideologies.
Special counsel Jack Smith, for example, and Judge Tanya Chutkan, who oversaw the federal election subversion case against Trump, have previously been targeted by such incidents.
New York Representative Elise Stefanik, the chair of the House GOP conference and Trump’s pick to be ambassador to the United Nations, was also informed of a bomb threat to her residence, her office said in a Wednesday morning statement.