Top House Republican says '911 prank call' sent police to his home in ‘swatting’ incident
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said his home was the target of a "swatting" incident over the weekend.
A top House Republican leader announced he was targeted in a "swatting" situation over the weekend.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said the incident occurred when he and his family were not home.
"Tonight my family and I were the target of a ‘swatting’ incident involving a 911 prank call that wrongly diverted a police presence to my home," Emmer announced Saturday night. "Sadly, this illegal and dangerous scheme is being used nationwide to target elected officials."
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"Thankfully, no one was home or injured. I condemn this illegal abuse of police resources. I want to thank the Wright County Sheriff’s Office for their professionalism and support," he said.
Emmer’s office told Fox News Digital that there would not be additional comment on the incident.
A spokesperson for the Wright County Sheriff's Office confirmed the swatting and told Fox News Digital that officers responded "after a call was received regarding a possible homicide/hostage situation reportedly occurring at the residence."
"The residence was checked by Wright County Deputies and contact was made with Representative Emmer and his security detail from US Capitol Police. The report was quickly determined to be unfounded and believed to be an incident of ‘swatting’. This incident along with other similar incidents are under further investigation by the US Capital Police," the statement read.
There has been a wave of recent "swatting" incidents targeting Republican lawmakers, including on Christmas Day.
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"Swatting" targets an individual by calling in a false police report at their home, with the goal of eliciting a SWAT team response.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who along with Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., said she was the target of a prank 911 call on Dec. 25 last year, pledged to introduce legislation to crack down on the troubling practice.
"I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here," Greene wrote in a post on X at the time.
Williams had posted on the site a short while earlier, "Our home was swatted this afternoon. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!"
Days later, Greene said a family member of hers was swatted, and she announced she’d be "introducing legislation to make it much easier for law enforcement to arrest and prosecutors to prosecute these criminals."
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., announced the morning after her post that his home had been swatted. Scott said he and his wife were not home at the time.
"Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards ‘swatted’ my home in Naples. These criminals wasted the time & resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family," Scott wrote on X.