The homes of four Connecticut U.S. Congressmembers were targeted by bomb threats Thanksgiving morning, according to police and the Democrats who received the threats.
Rep. Joe Courtney was inside his home in Vernon, gearing up to celebrate the holiday with family, when authorities descended on the property around 7 a.m., his office confirmed in a statement.
The large law enforcement response — including officers from the Vernon Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police and the Hartford Police bomb squad — was triggered after an unidentified city official received a threat of a bomb inside Courtney’s home, a Vernon police spokesman told Patch.
Courtney’s office later confirmed there was no evidence found of a bomb on the property, and that everyone inside the home was safe.
Some 45 minutes later, Rep. Jahana Hayes received a call from the Wolcott Police Department, alerting her to a threatening email about a pipe bomb being placed in her mailbox, she said in a statement.
Officers from state and Capitol police, as well as the Wolcott Police Department, responded to her residence, but did not uncover any explosives or evidence of other danger.
On Thursday afternoon, Rep. Jim Himes said his Greenwich home had too been targeted by a bomb threat that morning while he was celebrating Thanksgiving with family.
“Thankfully, after a swift and thorough response from the United States Capitol Police, the Greenwich Police Department and the Stamford Police Department, no evidence of a bomb was found,” Himes said in a statement.
Police in East Hartford were also called to the home of Rep. John Larson for a similar threat, which also turned out to be unfounded.
“I would like to thank the East Hartford Police Department for their swift and professional response in ensuring the safety of my family,” Larson told NBC Connecticut. “I am grateful that my colleagues in the Connecticut Congressional Delegation, who received similar threats, are also safe.”
Authorities have not yet said whether the threats were connected or came from the same person. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.
The Thanksgiving incidents followed a spate of “swatting” calls and bomb threats against several nominees for President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Those who confirmed they were targeted late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning include New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick for United Nations ambassador; Lee Zeldin, a former rep from Long Island who’s been tapped to head the EPA; and former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who recently withdrew his name from consideration for U.S. attorney general.
The NYPD also confirmed a bomb threat had been made against the Upper East Side home of Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Commerce.
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