FBI probes bomb threats and ‘swatting attacks’ against Trump’s cabinet picks
Trump transition team spokesperson says several nominees ‘were targeted in violent, un-American threats to their lives’
A number of US President-elect Donald Trump’s most prominent Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting attacks”, Trump’s transition team said. The FBI said it was investigating.
“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, un-American threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Wednesday.
The attacks ranged from bomb threats to swatting, in which attackers initiate an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretences, she said. The tactic has become a popular one in recent years.
Leavitt said law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted and Trump and his transition team are grateful.
Among those targeted were New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations; Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general; Oregon congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, whom Trump chose to lead the Department of Labour, and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, who has been tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.