The FBI confirmed Wednesday that multiple members of Donald Trump’s incoming administration have been targeted with bomb threats and swatting incidentsSecurity concerns are mounting as the former president prepares to take office in January. Among the reported incidents were pipe bomb threats with pro-Palestinian messages.
“The FBI is aware of numerous bomb threats and incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners,” the agency said in a statement.
Swatting, a dangerous fraud tactic in which emergency services are dispatched under false pretenses, has become increasingly common in the United States, often targeting high-profile political figures.
Carolyn Levitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, condemned the threats in a statement, saying, “Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and executive appointees were targeted in violent, un-American threats against their lives and those who live with them. “
Those targeted include Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, who was nominated by Trump to be the next ambassador to the United Nations; Matt Gaetz, Trump’s early pick for attorney general; Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, picked to lead Labor Department; and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, tapped to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Elise Stefanik, one of the most high-profile of the nominees, revealed that her New York residence had received a bomb threat. Stefanik, a staunch Trump loyalist, said she was on her way home with her family for Thanksgiving when the threat came.
Former Congressman Lee Zeldin also reported a threat involving a pipe bomb and a message referencing pro-Palestinian sentiments. Zeldin confirmed that he and his family were not home at the time of the incident.
“A pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent with a pro-Palestinian themed message,” he wrote on X. “My family and I were not home at the time and are safe.”
Fox News Digital, citing unnamed sources, reported that other nominees, including John Ratcliffe, to lead the CIA, and Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary, were also targeted.
The threats come as Trump, who survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in July, faces a polarized political climate. In that incident, the former president suffered a minor ear injury before the assailant retaliated and was killed.
In a separate case, a man was arrested in September for plotting to shoot Trump at his Florida golf course.