Elise Stefanik, Lee Zeldin among those targeted

On By Littum

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Two New Yorkers named to senior positions in the incoming Trump administration were among at least five appointees targeted with bomb threats and other false alarms that reportedly sent police teams to their homes.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, a five-term congresswoman chosen to be ambassador to the United Nations, was driving home to Saratoga County from Washington, DC, with her husband and 3-year-old son on Wednesday when she learned of the bomb threat against her homeaccording to a statement from her office.

“New York State, county law enforcement and the US Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest level of professionalism,” Stefanik’s staff said. “We are incredibly grateful for the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7.”

The other New Yorker was former Rep. Lee Zeldin, who announced Wednesday that a pipe bomb threat had been made at his Long Island home while he and his family were away. Zeldin, a 2022 candidate for governor who has been appointed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said the threat was “sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message.”

They were among at least five people selected to serve in the Trump administration whose homes had reportedly been hit by bomb threats, or “swatting” calls meant to provoke an armed police response. you “Violent, un-American threats” were made Tuesday night and Wednesday morningsaid Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition team.

Others exposed to similar threats, according to published reports, include: Pete Hegseth, the Fox New commentator who was nominated to be Secretary of Defense and lives in Tennessee; Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman who was appointed to be the attorney general but later withdrew his name (after vacating his house seat); and Brooke Rollins, who lives in Texas and is Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Agriculture.

An FBI official told USA Today on Wednesday that the agency was investigating “numerous bomb threats and incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees.”

“We are working with our law enforcement partners,” the official said. “We take all potential threats seriously and, as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”

Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and the USA Today Network. Contact him at [email protected].