Trump nominees targeted with bomb threats

By 
 November 28, 2024

A wave of bomb and death threats has targeted several of Donald Trump's Cabinet picks and their families.

Almost a dozen different nominees, including Elise Stefanik, Lee Zeldin, and Pete Hegseth, received bomb threats or had their homes "swatted," Fox News reported. No arrests have been made at this time.

Trump's campaign spokeswoman and future White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, issued a statement on the incident. 

"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," she told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "In response, law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action."

None of the threats appear to be legitimate, and no injuries have been reported.

Trump nominees targeted

In upstate New York, police and bomb-sniffing dogs swept the Saratoga home of Elise Stefanik, Trump's nominee for U.N. ambassador. Stefanik's congressional office said she was notified of the threat while heading home for Thanksgiving with her husband and 3-year-old son.

Trump's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, said he received a "pipe bomb threat" with a "pro-Palestinian themed message" at his home. The former New York congressman, who is Jewish, and his family were away from home at the time.

The family of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice to lead the Defense Department, was also targeted.

"This morning, a police officer arrived at our home—where our seven children were still sleeping. The officer notified my wife and I that they had received a credible pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family," Hegseth wrote on X.

"We are all safe and the threat has been cleared. We want to thank law enforcement for their professionalism and bravery. I will not be bullied or intimidated. Never. President Trump has called on me to serve—and that is what I intend to do."

Threats to Trump, allies

A relative of Matt Gaetz was also targeted. The former Florida congressman withdrew his nomination to serve as attorney general last week.

Local police in Florida said they became aware of a threat targeting Gaetz's supposed mailbox at a home in Niceville.

"A family member resides at the address but former Congressman Gaetz is NOT a resident. The mailbox however was cleared and no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results," the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook.

These hoax threats certainly look coordinated, but details from law enforcement are sparse. The FBI said they are "aware" of the incidents.

All of this comes after Trump survived two assassination attempts during his successful campaign for the presidency. The first attempt, in July, nearly killed the president-elect, who was grazed in the ear by a bullet.

An Arizona man who visited one of Trump's rallies in August was recently arrested for threatening to kill Trump in a series of Facebook videos.

" A free people [claim] their rights, as derived from the laws of nature."
Thomas Jefferson