FBI investigating Trump nominee bomb threats

Update, 1:55 p.m.:

The FBI said on Wednesday that it was aware of bomb threats and swatting calls directed at several of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees. The bureau was working with its law enforcement partners, according to the statement. The agency takes all potential threats seriously, the FBI said. It encouraged members of the public to report anything suspicious to law enforcement.

Initial post, 12:15 p.m.:

Bomb threats made against Trump cabinet picks

Several individuals nominated for roles in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration received bomb threats and swatting calls on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Law enforcement personnel acted to protect the nominees and their family members, said Trump transition team spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Swatting is an illegal practice where a caller falsely reports a dangerous crime at the home of an unsuspecting victim, forcing police to aggressively respond to the victim’s address. The trend of harassment began in the online gaming community.

Acts of intimidation and violence would not deter Trump and his team from working to give Americans a more prosperous future, Leavitt said.

Have any cabinet picks confirmed threats against themselves? Trump’s pick to be the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanik, on Wednesday confirmed there was a bomb threat at her home. She, her husband, and their three-year-old son were on their way home to Saratoga County in upstate New York for the holidays when they received a call about the threat against their Washington residence, she said.

How many cabinet nominees were targeted? Fox News reported that nearly a dozen of Trump’s nominees and appointees were targeted by the threats.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report on how Democrats felt like the leaders of their party in the 2024 presidential election were not sufficiently addressing their priorities.