‘This is dangerous and incoherent’

On November 28, 2024By Littum

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday that the threats against President-elect Trump’s nominees and appointees are “dangerous and rampant” and called on President Biden and other Democratic Party leaders to condemn the incidents.

“This year there was not just one, but TWO assassination attempts on President Trump,” Johnson said in a Wednesday post on social platform X, referring to a shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania over the summer, when Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet, and another incident at his golf club in Florida, where agents foiled an apparent attempt on his life before shots were fired.

“Now some of his Cabinet nominees and their families are facing bomb threats,” he continued. “This is dangerous and inappropriate. This is not who we are in America,”

The president added: “Joe Biden and all Democratic leaders have an obligation to speak up and condemn this now.”

Johnson’s comments come as at least four officials reported bomb threats at their homes the day before Thanksgiving. This is confirmed by Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s future press secretary in a statement Wednesday that several of the newly elected president’s nominees had been subjected to “swatting” and other threats.

“In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those targeted,” Leavitt said.

A spokesman for Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.), who was tapped by Trump to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, said the Legislature’s home was hit by a bomb threat.

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office shared that a similar threat was made Wednesday morning in Florida regarding former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — who has withdrawn his name from consideration for attorney general. The sheriff’s office said Gaetz does not live there, but a family member does. No device was found and the area was cleared by authorities.

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (RN.Y.) said his family home was the target of a pipe bomb threat that had a “pro-Palestinian theme.” Zeldin, a former Jewish lawmaker whom Trump picked to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, said he and his family were not at the residence when the threat occurred.

Brooke Rollins, the president-elect’s pick for agriculture secretary, was also a target. Rollins reported online that she received a threat against her family and home in Texas. She added that Forth Worth police cleared the area and she was informed she could return to her residence.

At the end of last year, several lawmakers said their homes were the target of Christmas Day break-in incidents.

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