Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said he had never seen a threat like the one facing President-elect Trump's nominees, calling it a “sad consequence of heightened rhetoric.” pointed out.
Mulvaney appeared on “The Hill” with NewsNation's Mike Viceria on Wednesday to talk about threats against high-ranking appointees and his time in the first Trump administration.
Mulvaney called the threat “a sad result of heightened rhetoric,” later adding, “I haven't seen this before.”
President Trump nominated Mulvaney to head the Office of Management and Budget in December 2016. He said he received “no protection at all” until he was confirmed by the Senate, and that his pay was “very low” until he became Trump's acting chief of staff.
“So most of these people are not safe at all,” he said.
Several of President Trump's Cabinet nominees have been the subject of threats in the past week, including four who were reported to have bomb threats against their homes ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The FBI said it is aware of numerous bomb threats and physical altercations. It said it is working with its law enforcement partners and takes all threats seriously.
The candidate affected by the threats so far is Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.), the U.N. ambassador-elect. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has withdrawn from consideration for President Trump's attorney general nomination. Former Congressman Lee Zeldin (RN.Y.) was selected to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Brooke Rollins, Trump's second choice for attorney general. Howard Lutnick was chosen to head the Department of Commerce. Rep. Lori Chavez Delemer (R-Ore.) was selected by former NFL star Scott Turner to serve as labor secretary in President Trump's Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Mulvaney said he had never experienced a threat this serious during his tenure.
“We've seen crazy jobs on the internet that threaten families and others and we have to turn them over to the FBI, but we've never seen anything like this level of pipe bombs,” he said. said.
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