Judge in Trump election subversion case targeted by fake 911 ‘swatting’ call
A home owned by the judge overseeing the federal election subversion case against Donald Trump was targeted by a fake emergency call on Sunday night, the latest in a spate of similar false “swatting” reports at the homes of public officials in recent days.
Police responded at about 10pm to a report of a shooting at a Washington DC home linked in public records to the US district judge Tanya Chutkan. But officers quickly found out that no shooting happened, the Metropolitan police department said on Monday.
Chutkan has received numerous threats since she was assigned Trump’s case last year. In August, a Texas woman was arrested after calling the courthouse and threatening to kill Chutkan and other officials. Investigators traced her phone number and she later admitted to making the threatening call, according to court documents.
Sunday’s incident comes after a rise in swatting directed at high-profile public officials over the holidays. Those whose homes have been targeted include the Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Maine secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, a Democrat who removed Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the constitution’s insurrection clause.
State capitols and courthouses in several states were also targeted by bomb threats last week, prompting lockdowns and evacuations. No explosives were found and the FBI called the threats a hoax.
The attorney general, Merrick Garland, on Friday called the increase in threats “deeply disturbing” in remarks ahead of a private meeting with top justice department leaders to address violent crime.
“These threats of violence are unacceptable. They threaten the fabric of our democracy,” he said.
Swatting refers to prank calls made to emergency services designed to draw a police response, especially from a Swat team.