Trump Transition: Team Members, Appointees Threatened

President-elect Donald Trump defiantly shouts 'fight, fight, fight' after the first of the assassination attempts during the 2024 presidential campaign. (Evan Vucci/AP)

By    |   Wednesday, 27 November 2024 02:38 PM EST ET

At least nine members of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and his roster of Cabinet nominees were hit with violent threats to them and their families, including "bomb threats and swatting," on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

"Law enforcement and authorities acted quickly to ensure safety" of the targeted individuals, a Trump spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The reported targets include former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., CIA Director-nominee John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary-nominee Pete Hegseth, Agriculture Secretary-nominee Brooke Rollins, Commerce Secretary-nominee Howard Lutnick, and Labor Secretary nominee Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore..

Sources told Newsmax Congressional correspondent Kilmeny Duchardt that Scott Turner, who's been tapped run the Department of Housing and Development, also received a bomb threat at his Dallas home Wednesday morning but was reported safe.

Also, another alleged would-be assassin from Arizona targeting President-elect Donald Trump was reportedly arrested Wednesday.

"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," Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman of the Trump-Vance Transition and the designated next White House press secretary, wrote in a statement.

"These attacks ranged from bomb threats to 'swatting.' In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.

"President Trump and the Transition are focused on doing the work of uniting our nation by ensuring a safe and prosperous future. With President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us."

Zeldin said his threat included a "pro-Palestinian themed message," suggesting a potential tie to domestic terrorism, if not antisemitism. Zeldin, a vocal supporter of Israel's right to defend itself in its war with terrorists, is a member of B'nai Israel Reform Temple in Oakdale, New York.

"The FBI is aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners," the FBI wrote 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."

Manuel Tamayo-Torres of Arizona reportedly posted videos to Facebook in recent months with an AR-15-style rifle and other weapons, threatening to kill Trump and his family.

Charging documents filed in the case allege he filmed a video at a Glendale, Arizona, Trump campaign rally in August.

The documents only refer to Trump as "Individual 1," but Tamayo-Torres made "direct threats" to the "president-elect," ABC reported.

"You're gonna die," Tamayo-Torres said in a video he posted Thursday, the documents allege. "Your son's gonna die. Your whole family is going to die.

"I'm going to put a hole in your face."

Among the specific Trump transition targets was Gaetz, who removed his name from being Trump's attorney general.

A pipe bomb threat was reported at Gaetz's residence, drawing a bomb squad, Punchbowl News reported.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office reportedly received a bomb threat at 9 a.m. "referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz's supposed mailbox," according to a report.

"A family member resides at the address but former congressman Gaetz is not a resident," the sheriff's office wrote in a statement, saying the mailbox was cleared and no devices were located.

"The immediate area was also searched with negative results," the statement added.

Stefanik, the designated U.S. ambassador to the U.N., and her family were also among those targeted.

"This morning, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, her husband, and their 3-year-old son were driving home to Saratoga County from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence," Stefanik's office announced in a statement.

"New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism. We are incredibly appreciative of the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7.

"We want to share our best wishes to the Upstate NY community for a happy and safe Thanksgiving. We are especially grateful to our law enforcement officers and military families who are on duty over the holiday season."

In New York City, Police reported a bomb threat targeted the property owned by Lutnick, and Zeldin's home was also targeted, according to a report.

"A pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message," Zeldin, the nominee to be Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, wrote in a statement.

"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. We are thankful for the swift actions taken by local officers to keep our family, neighbors, and local community secure."

Rollins, the nominee to be Agriculture Department secretary, and her family was targeted in Fort Worth, Texas.

"This morning, we learned that a threat was issued against our home and family," she wrote on X. "Thanks to the swift efforts by the @fortworthpd, we were unharmed and quickly returned home. I want to express my deep gratitude to the law-enforcement professionals who did their utmost, in both speed and expertise, to protect us — as they protect our community every single day."

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At least nine members of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and his roster of Cabinet nominees were hit with violent threats to them and their families, including "bomb threats and swatting," on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
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Wednesday, 27 November 2024 02:38 PM
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