Ken Paxton Announces Residence Was Targeted in Swatting Call

(RepublicanPress.org) – Swatting became a common problem over the 2023 holiday season, with several members of Congress finding themselves on the receiving end of the sometimes dangerous prank. Representatives Brandon Williams (R-NY) and Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA), and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) were all recent victims. On New Year’s Day, another pair of prominent Republicans experienced a swatting incident.

On January 3, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) revealed on social media that an “unidentified caller” contacted 911, making a false report that there was a “life-threatening situation” taking place at his home in McKinney. Paxton and his wife, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton (R), were not at the residence at the time. Still, the City of McKinney Police and Fire Departments responded to the call, finding the report was fake.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he and his wife, Texas Sen. Angela Paxton, were the victims of a swatting call at their McKinney home on New Year's Day https://t.co/33fBQEhZf7

— NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) January 3, 2024

AG Paxton said, “Making false reports to 911 is a crime” that keeps first responders from helping people in actual emergencies. He thanked the police and fire departments for their swift response and bravery in what could have been a dangerous call — if it had been true.

Paxton seemed to point the finger of blame at the former Texas “Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, his lieutenants, and the Dallas Morning News.” The attorney general made headlines back in May 2023 when he was impeached by the Texas State House led by Phelan. According to NBC in Dallas/Fort Worth, his home address was on impeachment documents released by the Texas House. The attorney general said the swatting incident happened just weeks after that.

Paxton hit the spotlight again in December 2023 when he blocked a pregnant woman from receiving a legal abortion, causing her to flee the state and causing an uproar across the nation.

There has been no word on who was responsible for the false emergency call to his home on January 1. Texas law states that swatting is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.