Trump Cabinet Nominees Targeted With Bomb Threats, ‘Swatting’ Attacks; FBI Investigates

New York: Before taking on new roles in the upcoming administration of the US President-elect Donald Trump , several of his cabinet picks and appointees have allegedly received bomb threats, news agency AP, citing Trump's transition, reported.

“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," Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

She said the 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.”

Swatting involves a practice of making hoax calls or providing false information in order to create a situation which leads to dispatch of a large number law enforcement officials at a particular address.

The FBI, in a statement, said that it is “aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our 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.”

It is learnt that New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations, was among those targeted.

On Wednesday morning, Stefanik office said that she, her husband, and their 3-year-old son were on their way back home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they came to know about a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County.

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

Meanwhile, in Florida, the Okaloosa County sheriff's office said in an advisory posted on Facebook that it “received notification of a bomb threat referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz's supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area around 9 a.m. this morning.”

While a family member resides at the address, they said "former Congressman Gaetz is NOT a resident. “The mailbox however was cleared and no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results.”

Gaetz was Trump's initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration amid allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Gaetz has strongly denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him.

The threats follow a political campaign with traces of unusual violence targeting Trump. Earlier In July, a shooter opened fire at an election rally of Trump in Pennsylvania's Butler, leaving him with a bullet injury in the ear. The gun violence at the rally left one of Trump's supporters dead. The US Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Trump's West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a perimeter fence while Trump was golfing.

(With AP inputs)