Special counsel Jack Smith has become the latest in a line of political and legal figures to fall victim to a "swatting" call, in which a person places a call reporting a nonexistent threat. Smith, who is spearheading the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in two of his criminal cases, was targeted at his Maryland home on Christmas Day when someone placed a call to Montgomery Country Police telling them that Smith had shot his wife at his personal residence, according to NBC News. Deputy U.S. Marshals protecting Smith and his family ultimately called off the police, informing them that there was no viable threat. According to NBC, Cecil VanDevender, Smith's attorney, previously told appeals court judges in D.C. that Smith has faced "multiple threats” and “intimidating communication” after Trump published “inflammatory posts” about Smith. Notably, on Christmas Day, Trump posted an invective targeting President Joe Biden, Smith, and others, saying he hopes the "ROT IN HELL."
On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge overseeing Trump's election subversion case, was subject to a similar "swatting" call. The Messenger reported that the call was placed to Chutkan's home on Saturday night — police in the area were notified that "multiple people were shot," but quickly determined that the bogus report was "unfounded," per reports on X/Twitter. Also targeted by the counterfeit calls last month were Reps. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., and Brandon Williams, R-N.Y.
Last week, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger pushed lawmakers to address the uptick in instances of "swatting" with a bill that would enforce harsher penalties for the calls. “It is deeply troubling to see a rise in swatting and other physical threats. We expect heightened tensions as we head into a major presidential election,” Raffensperger said in a news release. “We expect American citizens to engage in the democratic process — not resort to cowardly acts of intimidation,” he continued. “We’re committed to upholding our democratic principles and fighting for an environment in which citizens can freely and safely participate.”
