First appearance on Fox: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife became the latest Republicans to become victims of “swatting” after using their home address to make false reports to authorities.
Addressing the swatting incident in a statement to Fox News Digital, Paxton and his wife, Texas Sen. Angela Paxton, said they were not at McKinney's home on New Year's Day when first responders arrived on the scene. The couple described the false report to police as a “life-threatening” situation.
“On New Year's Day, a currently unidentified caller called 911 to falsely report a life-threatening situation at our home in McKinney,” the couple said. “As a result, the City of McKinney Police and Fire Departments responded quickly and bravely to what appeared to be a potentially dangerous environment. We were not home at the time, and state police were contacted. McKinney Police Department contacted us regarding this incident. ”
“False calls to 911 are a crime, and perpetrators should be aggressively prosecuted once they are identified. These false calls divert resources from actual emergencies and crimes and detract from first responders. “It could put us at risk,” the couple continued. “We would like to thank the men and women of the McKinney Police and Fire Department for their courage and professionalism.”
What is the “Criminal Harassment” hoax that has attacked three Republican members of Congress since Christmas? “Swatting”?
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, State Sen. Angela Paxton, are the latest Republicans to fall victim to “swatting” after a false report was made to authorities using their home address. He's a member of parliament. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“This 'swatting' incident comes just weeks after disgraced House Speaker Dade Phelan, his aides, and the Dallas Morning News exposed our family by publicly posting our addresses. It's also important to acknowledge what happened.” “While we recognize that some may disagree with conservatives' strong commitment to securing borders, preventing election fraud, and protecting constitutional liberties, the effectiveness and safety of law enforcement It is completely unacceptable to undermine this.”
The McKinney Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on this story.
“Tapping” means crime This has become more prominent in recent years, and has gained even more momentum in the social media era where people's addresses are easily accessible.
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley recently told Fox News Digital that swatting is a crime that “can be prosecuted as a form of criminal intimidation.”
“Swatting amounts to a false police report that can result in criminal charges,” Turley said. “Virginia recently passed a new law that specifically makes swatting a criminal misdemeanor. It can also be prosecuted as a form of criminal intimidation.”
The incident involving Mr. Paxton involved three Republican members of Congress, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene of Georgia, and Rep. Brandon Williams of New York, at their homes after the Christmas holidays. This happened after I reported a “swatting” incident.
“This is a crime that thrives because deterrence is inadequate,” Turley added. “Anonymity and rare prosecutions combine to encourage this form of criminal harassment.… There is no mystery as to how to deal with these crimes. To achieve deterrence, stronger It is necessary to expose and impose penalties.”
“This 'swatting' incident occurred just weeks after disgraced House Speaker Dade Phelan, his lieutenants, and the Dallas Morning News exposed our family by publicly posting our addresses. It is also important to acknowledge that,” the Paxtons said in a statement. Joint statement to Fox News. (Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This crime targets individuals by calling a false police report to the target's home regarding a violent crime (murder, hostage situation, or other crime requiring a larger response by law enforcement).
The purpose of the false police report is to direct the police SWAT team response to the target's home. As a result, swatting diverts police resources away from actual crime, while giving the state a weapon to unwittingly terrorize people in their own homes.
MTG to introduce bill targeting 'swaters' as Rick Scott becomes latest target
Greene, who herself has been a victim of this movement many times, told X last week that she would “introduce legislation that would make it easier for law enforcement to arrest and prosecutors to prosecute” criminals involved in false reporting. announced.
Over the past year, Paxton has faced an onslaught of accusations from state officials, primarily Texas Democrats, that the attorney general is unfit for office.
In May of last year, Texas House of Representatives After several hours of debate in the afternoon session, the House voted to impeach Paxton on charges of bribery, neglect of official duties and abuse of public trust, sending the case to the state Senate. However, in September 2023, the Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on all articles of impeachment against him on the grounds of corruption and unfitness to hold office.
Although there was support for impeachment from both sides, the vote to convict on each charge did not clear the required 21 votes in the Senate. Republican Sens. Robert Nichols and Kelly Hancock joined all 12 Democrats in voting for conviction on several charges.
“Today, the truth won. It could not be drowned out by corrupt politicians and their powerful backers,” Paxton said in a statement at the time, thanking his supporters after the verdict. . “The sham impeachment orchestrated by the Biden administration with liberal House Speaker Dade Phelan and his kangaroo court will cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupt the operations of the Attorney General's Office, and threaten the Texas House of Representatives. It left a dark and permanent stain on the…
Exterior of the Texas State Capitol Building photographed on September 5, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“Now that this shameful process is over, I can resume my work defending our constitutional rights. Thank you to everyone who has worked with us during this time,” he added.
Paxton faced charges before being acquitted that he abused his political power to help real estate developer Nate Paul. Paxton's opponents claim the attorney general took bribes to hire Paul.
Paxton was previously indicted in June on charges of making false statements to a bank.
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Paxton was suspended pending the outcome of the case and was not required to attend the trial. Paxton's wife, who has represented the state's 8th Senate district since 2019, was required to attend the entire trial, but was barred from participating in debates or votes on the outcome of her husband's case. It was getting worse.
Paxton, who previously served in the Texas House and Senate, was first elected as attorney general of the Lone Star State in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022.
FOX News' Chris Pandolfo, Houston Keene and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
