Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s planned Cabinet nominees and administration appointees were subjected to bomb threats and “swatting” attacks Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team said.
The nominees and appointees “were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them. These attacks ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting,’” transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Swatting is when a hoax call is made to police claiming a life-threatening situation is taking place. It is meant to draw SWAT teams to a location and can lead to deadly outcomes.
Three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the swatting incident involving multiple Trump allies told NBC News that these were not credible threats. No devices or physical threats were found and some of the threats may have come in over social media, the officials said. The threats did not involve U.S. Secret Service protectees such as Trump or Vice President-elect JD Vance.
The FBI said in a statement it “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.”
The Trump statement did not identify exactly who or how many incoming officials were subjected to the hoax but said “law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted.”
“President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action,” the statement said.
The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the threats and that the administration “is in touch with federal law enforcement and the President-elect’s team, and continues to monitor the situation closely. Federal law enforcement’s response, alongside state and local authorities, remains ongoing. The President and the Administration unequivocally condemn threats of political violence.”
Among those who said they were targeted are Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick to be ambassador to the United Nations; former Rep. Lee Zeldin, who’s been selected to head the Environmental Protection Agency; Brooke Rollins, Trump’s pick for the Department of Agriculture; and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Trump choice for U.S. attorney general who withdrew his name from consideration last week.
Stefanik’s office said in a statement that Stefanik, R-N.Y., her husband and their three-year-old son were driving home from Washington “when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence. New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism.”
Zeldin, a former New York GOP congressman, said in a statement that a”pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message. My family and I were not home at the time and are safe. We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops.”
Rollins tweeted that “a threat was issued against our home and family. Thanks to the swift efforts by the @fortworthpd, we were unharmed and quickly returned home.”
Gaetz, R-Fla., confirmed to NBC News that he was also among the targets.
A bomb squad reported to his home in Florida in response to the threat. Initially, a bomb-sniffing dog was brought to his home by the sheriff but was inconclusive, which led to the bomb squad being called in.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said “no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results.”
Gaetz said he was not home at the time but a family member was. The details of the Gaetz threat were first reported by Punchbowl News.
Pete Hegseth, who is Trump’s pick for defense secretary, said in a post to X that a police officer informed him Wednesday morning that there was a “pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family.” Hegseth added that his family is safe “and the threat has been cleared.”
“I will not be bullied or intimidated. Never,” Hegseth continued. “President Trump has called on me to serve—and that is what I intend to do.”
Leavitt’s statement said the threats would not slow them down. “With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us,” she said.
The same tactics have been used in the past against some of those who’ve been viewed as Trump adversaries, including the judge who presided over his civil fraud trial in New York, the judge who presided over Trump’s federal election interference case and the prosecutor who brought that case, special counsel Jack Smith, as well as the district attorney’s office in Georgia and New York that brought criminal cases against Trump.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle condemned the incidents.
“Violence has no place in our politics. Period,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a post to X. “Law enforcement will work to keep everyone safe, and those responsible must be held fully accountable.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said in a post to X that the threats were “extremely dangerous and completely unacceptable.”
“Praying for the safety of President Trump’s cabinet nominees and administration appointees,” Tuberville added.
