“Violent, un-American threats”: Trump Cabinet picks terrorized with bomb threats, swatting

The controversies around Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks have spilled outside of the Capitol building and into the daily lives of the nominees. 

Trump transition team spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that several of Trump’s executive appointees were targeted with bomb threats and “swatting” incidents, in which people call in a fake emergency that would require a heavily armed police response.

“Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Leavitt shared on Wednesday.

Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and one-time Rep. Lee Zeldin were both targeted with bomb threats. Trump’s picks for ambassador to the United Nations and head of the Environmental Protection Agency, respectively, both shared that they were unharmed on social media. 

“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,” Zeldin wrote on X. “We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops. We are thankful for the swift actions taken by local officers to keep our family, neighbors, and local community secure.”

Dropping out of consideration for the attorney general position didn’t save former congressman Matt Gaetz from grief in the wave of threats. He shared Zeldin’s statement with the note “same” on X. 

Bomb threats have never been far from the headlines this election season. Springfield, Ohio was plagued by bomb threats after the Trump campaign repeatedly smeared the Haitian community there and used the town as a poster child for the perceived woes of immigration. Bomb threats disrupted voting on Election Day in Georgia as well, with authorities in the state pinning the blame on Russian assets.

Trump himself faced notable threats on his life on the campaign trail, including a near-miss of an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and another apparent attempt in Florida.