Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley reportedly became the victim of a swatting incident in December when an unknown person called 911 at her home in South Carolina. Reuters.
Haley, who is running against former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, was not at her home on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, when a stranger called police on December 30th.
The caller claimed he shot his girlfriend and threatened to harm himself while he was at the Haley residence. This incident is under investigation. Haley’s son was not in the area at the time of the hoax call. Her husband, Michael, a former United Nations ambassador, is currently serving in the South Carolina Army National Guard on a one-year deployment to Africa.
According to Reuters, Haley was in contact with the FBI, the team’s security chief and the South Carolina State Police. FBI officials in the Palmetto State told Kiawah Island Public Safety Director Craig Harris and other law enforcement agencies that they are tracking the hoax dial and will conduct additional “threat assessments” related to the incident, Reuters reported. He is said to have said that.
Swatting involves making prank calls to emergency personnel to report criminal threats in the hopes of eliciting a serious response from police officers.
In recent months, there has been a significant increase in “swatting” incidents against institutions and public figures across the political spectrum. Two weeks ago, emergency responders were dispatched after a 911 caller falsely reported a fire at the White House. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) home was vandalized on Christmas Day, according to her post. X, formerly known as Twitter. According to her, this is the 8th time.
In an effort to crack down on the rise in swatting incidents, two Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to address the problem. Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Rick Scott (Florida) have introduced legislation that would amend the federal Criminal Misinformation Act and create stiffer penalties for swatting.
The Hill reached out to Haley’s campaign to confirm the incident.
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