Former U.N. Ambassador, South Carolina governor, and presidential candidate Nikki Haley is the latest victim of "swatting." The incident occurred at the end of December 2023 in her gated South Carolina community, Reuters reports:
Authorities responded to a fake emergency at the South Carolina home of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley last month after a man claimed to have shot a woman and threatened to harm himself at her home, according to town records obtained by Reuters.
The previously unreported “swatting” incident is among a wave of violent threats, bomb scares and other acts of intimidation against government officials, members of the judiciary and election administrators since the 2020 election that have alarmed law enforcement ahead of this year’s U.S. presidential contest.
This tactic has been used against high-profile political figures, no matter what the political stripe, and has included the judges overseeing some of the litigation against Donald J. Trump: New York Judge Arthur Erdogan and D.C. Judge Tanya Chutkan. Constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley, spoke out against the incidents, and unfortunately, became a target himself. Missouri Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jay Ashcroft also posted on X that he was swatted at his home.
My home was just swatted. My family and I are safe. I am grateful to Jefferson City law enforcement for the professionalism with which they handled the situation.
— Jay Ashcroft (@JayAshcroftMO) January 8, 2024
GA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been targeted with swatting eight times, the last time on Christmas Day 2023. Yet, Greene has alleged that the Department of Justice is doing nothing to locate these individuals/groups targeting her.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says a trans activist got her home swatted and the DOJ is doing nothing to stop these dangerous swatting calls.
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) January 3, 2024
"Is this an attack on our government?" @mtgreenee pic.twitter.com/Sk5EgeAwlB
FL Sen. Rick Scott was also swatted in December 2023, and he has introduced legislation to address it, saying it puts law enforcement in unnecessary danger.
Law enforcement officers shouldn’t be in danger because criminals are attempting to terrorize civilians' homes.
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) January 27, 2024
I’m leading a bill to make sure cowards who attempt a ‘swatting’ are held accountable, and LEOs kept safe ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wfJvm1NZJx
The report from Reuters continued:
The hoax against Haley, who is challenging frontrunner Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, occurred on Dec. 30 in the town of Kiawah Island, an affluent, gated community of around 2,000 people.
Haley's campaign declined to comment.
As this is a developing story, RedState will bring you updates as they become available.
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