It seems as though politicians are increasingly becoming victims of prank police calls.
Since Christmastime in 2023, reports have been pouring in showcasing political figures being the victims of a prank trend known as “swatting” – where police are called to someone’s house based on a false claim of violent emergency. The underlying goal is to either ruin the person’s day or, in some cases, trigger an aggressive response with a SWAT team – hence the name.
Concerningly, a recent spate of swatting events happened on Christmas Day, according to reporting from New York Magazine’s Intelligencer.
First, special counsel Jack Smith, the man appointed to handle the Washington, D.C., election case against Donald Trump, was targeted. An anonymous person called police claiming that Smith shot his wife at their home in Maryland. Units were dispatched but were called off by US Marshals protecting Smith.
The second Christmas Day incident was against Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. In the morning, local Georgia police received a call from what they determined was a man in New York. This man called the suicide hotline in Georgia claiming he shot his girlfriend at Greene’s Georgia home and was then going to kill himself.
Greene’s security detail confirmed she was safe and the call was then determined to be a swatting attempt. Greene later tweeted that it was “like the 8th time” that this had happened to her.
The last call on Christmas Day came from central New York, where police arrived at the home of Republican Rep. Brandon Williams. The Cayuga County Sheriff’s office said they received a false report of a shooting at Williams’ New York home. Officers were sent to confirm any danger, of which there was none.
In a post on X afterward, Williams thanked the officers for the work and gave a Merry Christmas wish.
Several other incidents were reported post-Christmas against the likes of a state representative, election official, and a judge, the most recent occurring on Jan. 7.
Concern is mounting on all sides regarding this trend, with the victims noting that they are afraid these threats could eventually lead to violence. Swatting has previously ended in accidental deaths of bystanders and victims.
Attorney General Merrick Garland remarked that this trend is “deeply disturbing.”
It is unclear why this trend has increased in frequency so severely. Many targets have been on the political right, at least more so than Democrats.
The Washington Post speculates that these could be threats from more radical right-wing voters to people who may have disagreed with or upset former President Trump. Some, but not all, swatting calls follow this speculative line of thinking.
However, everyone is mostly concerned for their safety, especially as we approach another election year.