Five Connecticut Democrats targeted with threats while home for Thanksgiving

By Zachary Cohen and Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — At least four Democratic representatives from Connecticut said Thursday they were targeted with bomb threats while home celebrating Thanksgiving with their families. Sen. Chris Murphy’s office said he was also targeted.

Reps. Joe Courtney, Jim Himes, John Larson and Jahana Hayes each issued statements revealing they were targeted with bomb threats, prompting law enforcement to respond. In each case, law enforcement ultimately found no evidence of a bomb and all four lawmakers have reported their families are safe.

Murphy’s office said his Hartford home was the target of a bomb threat, “which appears to be part of a coordinated effort involving multiple members of Congress and public figures.”

The incidents came one day after several of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and administration appointees were similarly targeted in what the president-elect’s transition team called “violent and unAmerican threats to their lives.”

Incidents like these have increased in the past few years and are not uncommon for lawmakers, one official familiar with investigations into yesterday’s calls told CNN.

Members of law enforcement have previously told CNN that these calls can involve individuals overseas using scripts to make a variety of threats and are sometimes done for attention and entertainment.

In a statement to CNN, US Capitol Police said they are investigating the latest round of threats against Democratic lawmakers.

“Anytime a Member of Congress is the victim of a ‘swatting’ incident, we work closely with our local and federal law enforcement partners. To protect ongoing investigations and to minimize the risk of copy-cats, we cannot provide more details at this time,” USCP said in a statement.

Himes, Courtney and Hayes denounced threats of this kind and all political violence in their statements on Thursday. Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said: “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.”

Larson’s statement said he was “grateful that my colleagues in the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, who received similar threats, are also safe.”

The FBI said in a statement Wednesday that it was aware of “numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees” and is working with other law enforcement. “We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement,” the statement added.

Andrew McCabe, a former FBI deputy director and CNN contributor, said he was not surprised by yesterday’s threats.

“This has become a very, very common aspect of life for really anyone who is in a high profile or even a remotely controversial position. It’s been going on for years,” McCabe said in an interview Wednesday. “They probably know – 90% sure – that these threats that come in are worthless and there’s nothing to them, but they can’t take the risk of not responding on the off-chance that one real threat gets through.”

Swatting is a criminal hoax that involves falsely reporting a crime, such as a mass shooting or bomb threat, with the intention of getting police to arrive at a certain location. In an era of highly charged partisan politics, these types of threats have targeted a wide span of ideologies. Special counsel Jack Smith, for example, and Judge Tanya Chutkan, who oversaw the federal election subversion case against Trump, have previously been targeted in such incidents.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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