- Threats made Tuesday night and Wednesday morning: Spokesman
- Elise Stefanik says her family’s home was the target of a bomb threat.
- An FBI spokesperson says the bureau is aware of several bomb threats.
Several members of Donald Trump’s government and administration have been targeted in recent hours with actions that include bomb threats and “beatings,” a spokesman for the US President-elect said on Wednesday.
Police spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt said in a statement that the threats were made on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, and law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those targeted.
Elise Stefanik, a US representative from New York who was Trump’s pick to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations, said in a statement on Wednesday that her family’s home was the target of a bomb threat.
Stefanik said she, her husband, and their three-year-old son were driving from Washington, D.C., to Saratoga County in New York state when they were notified of the threat.
“New York State, County law enforcement, and the U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism,” Stefanik said.
Levitt did not mention the identity of the other targets, nor did he explain the nature of the apparent threats.
An FBI spokesperson said the bureau is aware of numerous bomb threats and beating incidents targeting candidates and appointees in the incoming administration, and is working with its law enforcement partners.
“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 spokesperson said.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Levitt said the attacks “ranged from bomb threats to ‘swattings'” — when a crime is falsely reported to cause a heavy armed police response to someone’s home.
“With President Trump as our example, we will not be deterred by serious acts of intimidation and violence,” Leavitt said.
Trump announced his choices for his cabinet and other senior administrative positions after his victory in the November 5 elections.
He did not comment on the apparent threats.
These attacks come months after Trump was injured in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July. In a separate incident, a man was charged with attempted assassination in September after he allegedly positioned himself with a rifle outside one of Trump’s golf courses in Florida.