FBI: We Take All Threats Against Trump Administration Officials Seriously

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on Wednesday, December 7, that it is aware of "multiple threats" of bombing and intimidation through fake alerts leading to police deployments against candidates and appointees of Donald Trump's government, and is cooperating with law enforcement in this regard. The FBI emphasized in this statement that it considers all potential threats serious as always and urged citizens to report any suspicious incidents immediately to the police. On Wednesday, December 7, Caroline Levitt, spokesperson for the Trump-Pence transition team, reported receiving "violent and un-American threats" against several appointees and candidates of Donald Trump's upcoming administration. Caroline Levitt stated in a statement that several candidates and appointees of the Trump administration were targeted by "violent and un-American threats" against themselves and their families on the evening of Tuesday and the morning of Wednesday. The spokesperson added that these threats included attacks with "bombs" and "dispatching police to their residences via fake alerts." Caroline Levitt further noted that police and other authorities responded quickly to ensure the safety of individuals facing recent threats. She quoted Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, and all members of the transition team in expressing gratitude for the immediate actions of the police and relevant authorities. Caroline Levitt added that Donald Trump and his transition team are working to ensure a safe and prosperous future while striving to create unity in the country. She said, "With a model like Donald Trump, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not stand in our way." Meanwhile, the office of Elise Stefanik, nominated by Donald Trump as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, stated that she was informed that their residence was targeted by a bomb threat. According to this statement, Elise Stefanik, along with her husband and young child, was traveling from Washington to Saratoga in California for Thanksgiving. Based on this statement published on Elise Stefanik's account on the 'X' network, the New York State Police and the FBI responded to this threat "with very high skill and speed." Elise Stefanik's office emphasized the "extraordinary selflessness of American police officers" in ensuring the round-the-clock safety of citizens and expressed gratitude for their efforts. Previously, on November 9, the U.S. Department of Justice published details of an indictment related to thwarting a plot by the Islamic Republic to assassinate Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, before the presidential election. According to the criminal indictment filed in the federal court in Manhattan, New York, an anonymous official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps instructed one of the Iranian regime's operatives in September to prepare a plan to monitor and ultimately assassinate Trump. The U.S. Department of Justice identified the main operative of the Islamic Republic for the assassination of Donald Trump as Farhad Shakri, a 51-year-old resident of Iran, along with his associates Carlyle Rivera, 49, from Brooklyn, New York, and Jonathan Ludolt, 36, from Staten Island, New York. In this context, Merrick Garland, the U.S. Attorney General, stated that few threats against U.S. national security are as serious as the threat from the Islamic Republic. He noted that the Department of Justice charged an operative of the Islamic Republic who was tasked by the Iranian regime to lead a network of criminals to carry out assassination plots against targets such as Donald Trump. Merrick Garland added that two other individuals, who were hired as part of this network to silence and kill an American journalist critical of the Islamic Republic on U.S. soil, were arrested and charged. The U.S. Attorney General emphasized that the United States will not tolerate the Islamic Republic's efforts to jeopardize the national security of the United States and its citizens. Additionally, Christopher Wray, the head of the FBI, stated that these allegations demonstrate the "ongoing and audacious" efforts of the Iranian regime to attack American citizens, including Donald Trump, other U.S. leaders, and opponents of the Islamic Republic. He noted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a foreign terrorist organization, has been conspiring with criminals and assassins to attack Americans on U.S. soil, and such actions will not be tolerated. Christopher Wray pointed out that thanks to the FBI's intensive efforts, deadly plots were disrupted.