- Multiple pipe bomb threats have been reported at the homes of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks.
- The FBI said it is aware of the threats.
- Rep. Elise Stefanik, former Reps. Lee Zeldin and Matt Gaetz, and Brooke Rollins were all targeted.
Violent threats were made against several of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and administration appointees on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to a transition team press release and statements from federal and local law enforcement.
The Trump-Vance transition team issued a press release Wednesday morning claiming that law enforcement quickly reacted to the “violent, unAmerican threats,” ranging from bomb threats to “swatting” — making misleading calls to law enforcement so they arrive at a particular address.
“President Trump and the Transition are focused on doing the work of uniting our nation by ensuring a safe and prosperous future. With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us,” said Karoline Leavitt, the Trump-Vance Transition spokeswoman and the incoming White House press secretary.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a statement saying the agency is aware of “numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents” against members of the incoming presidential administration.
While Leavitt did not specify which cabinet picks had been targeted, multiple nominees revealed shortly after the announcement that there had been threats made against them on Tuesday and Wednesday.
New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s choice for United Nations ambassador, released a statement saying a bomb threat was made to her New York State residence on Wednesday morning, spurring a response from state, county and U.S. Capitol police.
Former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency who is Jewish, issued a statement saying a “pipe bomb” threat was made against his family on Monday with a “pro-Palestinian themed message.” Zeldin’s family was not home at the time, he said.
Brooke Rollins, Trump’s pick for Agriculture Department secretary, said a threat was made against her “home and family” on Wednesday morning, requiring a response by her local police department.
Prior to the Trump team’s announcement, Melanie Zanona, of Punchbowl News, reported that a bomb squad was responding to a pipe bomb threat at the home of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was Trump’s short-lived nominee for attorney general until he withdrew his nomination last week.