The FBI says several nominees and appointees to Donald Trump’s cabinet in his incoming administration have been targeted with bomb threats.
They said they were aware of “multiple bomb threats” as well as “beat-ups” in which prank calls were made to attract a police response to the target’s home.
Elise Stefanik, the New York Republican who Trump appointed US ambassador to the United Nations, was the first to say that her family’s home had been threatened with a bomb threat.
Police are investigating the incident that occurred Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, said several people were targeted and “law enforcement acted quickly to ensure” their safety.
Neither Leavitt nor the FBI identified any targets by name.
But Stefanik’s office said the congresswoman was informed of the bomb threat while she was driving with her husband and three-year-old son from Washington to New York for Thanksgiving.
In addition, New York police later told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the home of Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, was also threatened.
Lee Zeldin, Trump’s nominee to administer the Environmental Protection Agency, also confirmed he was targeted, saying a “pipe bomb threat” was sent to his home with a “targeted message”. issue in support of Palestine”.
“My family and I were not home at that time and are safe,” he said. “We are grateful for the quick actions of local officials.”
Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, who recently dropped out of his bid to become U.S. attorney general, is also a target.
Florida’s Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a bomb threat was directed at an address in the town of Niceville.
Police said the home’s mailbox was emptied and no devices were found, and a search of the area turned up nothing.
Fox News also reported that John Ratcliffe, Trump’s nominee to be CIA director, and defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth were also targeted in the wave of threats.
