(RepublicanPress.org) – Politicians are increasingly falling victim to incidents of swatting, the practice of making false reports to emergency services agencies in hopes of tricking them into dispatching a SWAT team to their target’s residence. Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley recently spoke out about her recent experience with that criminal behavior.
On January 28, the former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor sat down for a wide-ranging interview with NBC host Kristen Welker. The two discussed Haley’s effort to seek the Republican presidential nomination, calls for her to withdraw from the race, and various other topics like the ongoing border crisis and the war between Israel and Hamas.
Toward the end of the interview, Welker turned her attention to recent reports that authorities responded to a swatting incident at Haley’s South Carolina home in December. Haley confirmed the incident, adding that she was not at the residence at the time.
Recent reports have indicated that Haley’s home was targeted in a fake 911 twice in just a few days, with the first occurring on December 30 and the second occurring on January 1.
Two swatting incidents took place within days of each other at Nikki Haley's home in South Carolina, records show.
Law enforcement officials said that both times, they met a caregiver for Haley's parents, 87 and 90, and confirmed the calls were hoaxes. https://t.co/jNzRRkc0sG
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 30, 2024
Haley advised that she and her husband, Michael, care for her 87- and 90-year-old parents. She said her parents were there at the time of the first incident, along with their caregiver. Haley expressed her alarm at the criminal prank, telling Welker that the “last thing” she wanted to experience was “multiple law enforcement officials” pointing their weapons at her parents, thinking that something dangerous had happened.
Haley explained that the incident put both her family members and law enforcement officers in harm’s way. “It was not a safe situation,” she said.
The GOP hopeful said the incident was indicative of the “chaos that is [currently] surrounding the country.” Haley said the important thing was for the country to get beyond the current period of “division” and learn to avoid exhibiting hatred. “It’s time that we remember what normal [feels] like,” she concluded.
Several other lawmakers have experienced similar incidents in recent months. On January 17, Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act.
If the measure passes, it would expand the current federal law prohibiting hoaxes to include the practice of swatting. It would also impose strict penalties for the practice, including up to 20 years imprisonment if someone receives serious injuries due to a “swatting attack.”
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