Donald Trump |
Following the string of announcements made by President-elect Donald Trump about his cabinet formation, the nominees have been subjected to several threats.
In a release posted on X on Wednesday by Karoline Leavitt, press secretary of Trump’s electoral campaign, she stated, “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.”
“These attacks ranged from bomb threats to swatting,” her statement read.
She claims that law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those targeted.
One of the first nominees to receive such threats was Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick for US ambassador to the United Nations.
In a statement released by Stefanik’s office, the Congresswoman stated that while she was driving home for Thanksgiving with her husband and their child on Wednesday, “they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence.”
On the same day, Pete Hegseth, the Defence Secretary nominee, stated that the local police department notified him and his wife “that they had received a credible pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family. We are all safe and the threat has been cleared.”
Similarly, the Republican nominee to take charge as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, received a ‘pipe bomb threat’ at his house. Zeldin claims in a statement, “A pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message. My family and I were not home at the time and are safe. We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops.”
Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, too claimed that on Wednesday morning, she “learned that a threat was issued against our home and family.”
Among other nominees to receive such threats were Scott Turner, the probable face to run the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Lori Chavez-Deremer, the pick for Labour Secretary.
They took to social media and informed that they had been targeted.
Several news media reports in the US also state that other Trump nominees were targeted in what is seen to be a series of threats on the potential administrators in the country.
Some of the names which have surfaced include former US Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz, his replacement Pam Bondi, Howard Lutnick, John Ratcliffe, and Susie Wiles.
The White House has also responded to these incidents and stated that it is in touch with federal law enforcement and the President-elect’s team, and continues to monitor the situation closely.
Notably, Arizona man Manuel Tamayo-Torres was also recently arrested after he allegedly posted videos online threatening to kill President-elect Donald Trump and his family.