At Least 4 Democratic Representatives from Connecticut Receive Bomb Threats on Thanksgiving Day
At least four Democratic representatives from Connecticut reported receiving bomb threats on Thanksgiving Day, causing law enforcement to respond and ultimately find no evidence of a bomb. The targeted lawmakers were Reps. Joe Courtney, Jim Himes, John Larson, and Jahana Hayes, all of whom issued statements confirming the threats and reporting their families are safe.
The incidents come one day after several of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and administration appointees were targeted with similar threats, which the president-elect’s transition team called “violent and unAmerican threats to their lives.” This is not an isolated event; threatening calls and swatting incidents have become increasingly common for lawmakers in recent years, according to an official familiar with investigations.
The threats are often perpetrated by individuals overseas using scripts to make a variety of threats, sometimes done for attention and entertainment, as reported by law enforcement officials. In response, the FBI issued a statement acknowledging the threats and Swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, stating that it is working with other law enforcement agencies to take all potential threats seriously.
The targeted lawmakers, including Himes, Courtney, and Hayes, denounced threats of this kind and all political violence, with Himes noting, “There is no place for political violence in this country, and I hope that we may all continue through the holiday season with peace and civility.” The FBI encourages the public to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.
Andrew McCabe, a former FBI deputy director and CNN contributor, was not surprised by the recent threats, citing their frequency and the fact that they often prove to be worthless, but essential to respond to in case one real threat gets through. This phenomenon has targeted a wide range of ideologies and individuals, including special counsel Jack Smith and Judge Tanya Chutkan, who have previously been the recipients of similar threats.
