Seven children were found sleeping when the future US Secretary of Defense received news of the Bomb threat.

Pete Hegseth. Photo: AFP

Pete Hegseth, who is set to be appointed as US Secretary of Defense, said on Wednesday evening that his family members have been threatened with a pipe bomb attack.

In a post on the social media platform X, he wrote, "This morning, police officers came to our house. Our seven children were still sleeping. The officer told my wife and I that they had received reliable information that I and my family were likely to be targeted by a pipe bomb. We are all safe. The threat has been eliminated."

Not only the US Secretary of Defense, but several people nominated for appointments to the Cabinet and administration of US President-elect Donald Trump have received threats of attack. They have received various threats, including bomb attacks, this week. This was stated by Caroline Levett, a spokeswoman for Trump's transition team, yesterday.
In a statement, Lovett said the threats were made late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Law enforcement quickly took action to ensure the safety of those who received them.

Republican Senator Alice Stefanik, who is nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Lee Zeldin, who is nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency, said in separate statements that they had received bomb threats.

An FBI spokesman said they had received numerous bomb threats to the homes of the nominees. They had also received several swattings, or false allegations, intended to harass these individuals.

Swatting is the act of making false allegations of an attack to the police so that they would conduct a full-scale search of the home of the person threatened with an attack. Law enforcement experts view it as intimidation or harassment. Such attempts at harassment targeting prominent figures are on the rise.
“We take all potential threats seriously and naturally encourage the public to report anything suspicious to law enforcement immediately,” an FBI spokesman said.

Elise Stefanik, who is set to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in a statement yesterday that she, her husband and three-year-old son were traveling from Washington, D.C. to their family home in New York when they learned of the threat.

Zeldin said she and her family were also targeted.

“Today, a pipe bomb threat was made at our home targeting me and my family. The threat was made in a message with a pro-Palestinian theme,” Zeldin said in a statement posted on social media.

Lee Zeldin, who is set to be appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said he and his family were not home at the time. They are safe. He added that he was working with law enforcement to better understand the situation.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida said a family member of former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz also received a bomb threat.

Gaetz, who was nominated to be attorney general in the Trump administration, faced opposition from Republicans in the US Senate over sexual assault allegations. Gaetz withdrew his nomination as attorney general. He has denied the allegations against him.

A statement from the sheriff's office said mailboxes were emptied and no devices were found. Nearby areas were also searched, but nothing was found.

A White House spokesman said Democratic US President Joe Biden had been informed of the threat. The president and the administration unequivocally condemn the threat of political violence.