'Nearly a dozen' members of Trump’s top team targeted with bomb threats at family homes
27 November 2024, 17:16 | Updated: 27 November 2024, 17:55
'Several' members of Donald Trump’s top team have been targeted with bomb threats at their home addresses, a Trump spokesperson has said.
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A bomb squad was reportedly deployed to the home of former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz on Wednesday after he received a threat involving a pipe bomb.
It follows Mr Gaetz withdrawal as Trump's pick for attorney general last week, with 'several' other cabinet nominees targeted in the string of threats.
It remains unclear whether this is a was genuine or a hoax.
However, it's believed that VIPs currently protected by the US Secret Service - including Trump himself and the Vice President-elect JD Vance - were not subject to bomb threats.
According to the outlet, Mr Gaetz was not at home when the authorities responded to the threat, although family members were.
Mr Gaetz was one of a number of Trump allies targeted over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday, according to reports.
Police officers were seen in the vicinity of Mr Gaetz's home with sniffer dogs following the call to police.
The FBI said it was aware of "numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents" targeting Trump's cabinet, as well as nominees.
It said in a statement: "We take all potential threats seriously and, as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement."
According to Trump’s transition team, the threat is described as “violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them”.
Read more: Donald Trump planning to 'kick transgender troops out of US military' on return to White House
They citing threats including bomb and “swatting” attacks - a trend that sees a false report to police result in an immediate law enforcement response, namely from an armed SWAT team.
According to reports, the threat to Mr Gaetz resulted in the politician's mail box being checked by a bomb-sniffing dog, returning an inconclusive result and thus triggering a full bomb squad response.
In a statement, she said the incidents "ranged from bomb threats to 'swatting'", which is when a false crime is reported to bring an armed police response to someone's home.
The statement said: "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".
However, three senior law enforcement officials aware of the swatting incident told NBC News the threats were "not credible" and no devices or physical threats were found.
Trump named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, as his nod for US attorney general just hours after Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration.
It comes as Donald Trump called for China to execute its fentanyl producers on Tuesday as he also pledged to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada to crack down on drugs and illegal immigration.
The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices on everything from gas to automobiles.
The US is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada as its top three suppliers, according to the most recent Census data.
