As the former chairman prepares to take over his place in January, the FBI confirmed on Wednesday that several members of Donald Trump‘s coming administration have been the target of bomb threats and swatting situations. A tube bomb threat with a pro-Palestinian communication was one of the situations that were reported.
The FBI is working with our law enforcement partners in response to reports of bomb threats and swatting situations involving coming administration nominees and officials, according to a statement from the company.
Swatting, a dangerous fake technique in which crisis services are dispatched under false pretenses, has become increasingly common in the United States, generally targeting high-profile political numbers.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, condemned the challenges in a speech,” Last night and this morning, some of President Trump’s Cabinet nominations and Administration officials were targeted in aggressive, unAmerican threats to their life and those who live with them”.
Those targeted included New York Rep Elise Stefanik, nominated by Trump to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations, Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial choice for attorney general, Oregon Rep Lori Chavez-DeRemer, selected to lead the Department of Labour, and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, tapped to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Elise Stefanik, one of the highest-profile figures among the nominees, disclosed that her New York residence was subjected to a bomb threat. Stefanik, a staunch Trump loyalist, said that the threat occurred as she was traveling home with her family for Thanksgiving.
A pipe bomb and a message that references pro-Palestinian sentiments were also reported by former congressman Lee Zeldin. Zacheldin confirmed that he and his family were away at the time of the incident.
He wrote on X that a pipe bomb threat aimed at me and my family was being delivered with a pro-Palestinian message. I’m safe because my family and I were away at the time.
Fox News Digital, citing anonymous sources, reported that other nominees, including John Ratcliffe, nominated to lead the CIA, and Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary, were also targeted.
Trump, who survived an attempted assassination at a campaign rally in July, is still in the grip of polarized politics as a result of these threats. In that incident, the former president sustained a minor ear injury before the assailant was killed in a counterattack.
A man was detained in another alleged plot to shoot Donald Trump at his Florida golf course in September.
