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Special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the federal criminal cases against former President Trump, was the target of a swatting incident on Christmas Day.
Police in Montgomery County, Maryland, responded to a false report claiming that Smith had shot his wife. However, the situation was quickly deemed a false alarm by US marshals protecting Smith and his family. Swatting, a tactic involving false reports to police to provoke a potentially dangerous law enforcement response, has recently victimized several high-profile individuals.
On Sunday, Judge Tanya Chutkan, presiding over Trump’s case, which Smith is prosecuting, also experienced a similar swatting incident in Washington, DC. Other notable figures, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Brandon Williams (R-NY), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows have been targeted in these swatting attacks.
The swatting incidents coincide with a recent series of bomb threats and other threats at several state Capitols, causing police responses and evacuations. Attorney General Merrick Garland has publicly condemned this rise in violent threats, stating, “These threats of violence are unacceptable. They threaten the fabric of our democracy.”
