What Is Swatting? Trump Cabinet Nominees Targeted With 'Violent, UnAmerican Threats' Before Thanksgiving

Several high-profile members of the incoming Trump administration have been targeted by bomb threats, with "swatting incidents" also being reported by the FBI. "Swatting" involves making a hoax call to the police in the hope of directing them to the target's home. The results can sometimes be deadly.

Last Christmas a number of US politicians were targeted by swatters, including New York Republican Congressman Brandon Williams and Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, also Republican.

Williams suggested he may have been targeted because of his support for Israel, claiming that pro-Hamas signs were left at his home. Democrat politicians, such as Michelle Wu, the Mayor of Boston, have also been targets of swatting.

Threats on Trump Administration

While the FBI did not identify which members of Trump's team had received the threats, several have publicly spoken of being targeted.

Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary nominee, said on X that on Wednesday morning he was warned at his home by a police officer of a "credible pipe bomb threat". Hegseth was defiant however, saying, 'I will not be bullied or intimidated. Never... President Trump has called on me to serve - and that is what I intend to do.'

Elise Stefanik, who is expected to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations, said that she also had been informed of a bomb threat on her home, while driving to New York with her family for Thanksgiving.

Environmental Protection Agency nominee, Lee Zeldin, also spoke of a pipe-bomb threat with a 'pro-Palestinian themed message'.

So far, no arrests are known to have been made, so it is unclear to what extent the incidents are serious threats of political violence or online pranksters attempting to cause trouble.

The spokeswoman for the Trump transition team, Karoline Leavitt described the threats as 'violent' and 'unAmerican', but added 'With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us.'

Leavitt was apparently referring to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July of this year. During a campaign rally, a gunman opened fire on Trump, grazing his ear. Moments after being hit, Trump, surrounded by secret service agents, rose to his feet and in now iconic pictures raised his fist and shouted, 'Fight!'

Rising Political Violence in the USA

The USA has a long history of political violence, with four of the nation's 45 presidents being assassinated while in office (just below 10%). Other notable political figures to be assassinated include Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X and Robert F. Kennedy (not to be confused with his son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who has been nominated to serve in Trump's cabinet).

The last decade has also seen rising levels of under-the-radar violence, with groups like Antifa, the Proud Boys and Black Lives Matter being involved in disturbances ranging from intimidation to full blown riots.