Democratic lawmakers from Connecticut report Thanksgiving bomb threats against their homes
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — At least six Democratic members of Congress from Connecticut were targeted by bomb threats at their homes Thursday, the lawmakers or their offices said.
Sen. Christopher S. Murphy and all five House members — Reps. Jim Himes, Joe Courtney, John B. Larson, Jahana Hayes and Rosa DeLauro — reported being the subject of such threats.
Police who responded said they found no evidence of any bomb on the lawmakers’ properties. There was no immediate word whether Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal also received a threat.
The bomb threats against Democrats happened a day after a number of President-elect Donald Trump’s most prominent Cabinet picks and appointees reported that they had received bomb threats and “swatting” attacks, in which perpetrators initiate an emergency law enforcement response against a victim under false pretenses.
Murphy’s office said the bomb threat against the senator’s Hartford home “appears to be part of a coordinated effort involving multiple members of Congress and public figures.”
Courtney’s Vernon home received a bomb threat while his wife and children were there, his office said.
Hayes said the Wolcott Police Department informed her Thursday morning that it had received“a threatening email stating a pipe bomb had been placed in the mailbox at my home.”
State police, U.S. Capitol Police and the House sergeant at arms were notified, Wolcott and state police responded, “and no bomb or explosive materials were discovered.”
Himes said he was told of the threat against his home during a Thanksgiving celebration with his family. The U.S. Capitol Police and Greenwich and Stamford police departments responded.
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team says several of his Cabinet picks and appointees have faced bomb threats and “swatting attacks.”
Himes extended his family’s “utmost gratitude to our local law enforcement officers for their immediate action to ensure our safety.” He added: “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 declined to give details on the latest episodes except to say it is investigating them in partnership with other agencies.
The threats follow an election season marked by violence.
In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa., grazing him in the ear and killing one of his supporters.
The Secret Service later thwarted an incident at Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course when an agent spotted a gun barrel poking through a perimeter fence while Trump was golfing. The FBI deemed that incident to also be an assassination attempt.
Among those who received threats Wednesday, according to the Trump transition team, were New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick to serve as ambassador to the United Nations; Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial choice for attorney general; Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, whom Trump chose as Labor secretary; and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
Hussein writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.
