Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees this week were on the receiving end of bomb threats and a form of criminal harassment called “swatting,” his camp said.
According to a statement from Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, the bomb and swatting threats were made on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
“Law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted,” Leavitt said. “President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.
An FBI official told USA TODAY the agency is aware of the incidents and is actively investigating.
“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 official said.
Among the nominees saying they were targeted were New York Rep. Elise Stafanik, Trump’s pick to be the next ambassador of the United Nations; Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial attorney general selection; former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, who was tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
But what is swatting? Here’s what to know.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reacts as former U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin speaks at a rally ahead of the New Hampshire primary election in Concord, New Hampshire, U.S. January 19, 2024.
What is swatting?
The FBI describes “swatting” as a prank designed to draw an emergency law enforcement response to a hoax victim, often creating a situation where a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team arrives ready for a possible violent encounter.
“The individuals who engage in this activity use technology to make it appear that the emergency call is coming from the victim’s phone,” said one FBI public announcement in 2013, titled, “The Crime of ‘Swatting’: Fake 9-1-1 Calls Have Real Consequences — FBI.
“Sometimes swatting is done for revenge, sometimes as a prank. Either way, it is a serious crime, and one that has potentially dangerous consequences.”
The FBI first warned about the phone hacking phenomenon in 2008 and has arrested hundreds of people over the years on federal charges stemming from swatting incidents. It says most are handled by local and state law enforcement agencies, but that the FBI often provides resources and guidance in these investigations.
“The FBI looks at these crimes as a public safety issue,” Kevin Kolbye, an assistant special agent in charge of its Dallas Division, said in the 2013 public warning. “It’s only a matter of time before somebody gets seriously injured as a result of one of these incidents.”
Swatting incidents increased as 2024 presidential election approached
Federal cybersecurity officials warned of a significant increase in swatting incidents in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election and said numerous incidents had targeted election workers and polling places to disrupt the electoral process.
In May 2024, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint warning about the threat to elections, noting “multiple swatting incidents specifically targeting election workers” in late 2023 and early 2024. The frequency of the attacks increased dramatically in the weeks before the election and on election day, federal officials said in briefings and public postings.
“Both foreign and domestic actors use swatting as a method to harass or intimidate individuals and businesses, including U.S. government officials, faith-based institutions, schools, journalists, company executives, and celebrities,” the agencies said in the May 2024 warning, which provided detailed guidance on how election workers and law enforcement agencies could prevent and respond to swatting incidents.
“They may also seek to disrupt critical infrastructure operations, induce fear or chaos, divert law enforcement from other crimes or emergencies, or simply gain attention or notoriety,” the joint warning said.
Contributing: Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is swatting ? What to know amid threats to Trump’s nominees
