A fake emergency call to police resulted in officers responding Friday night to the home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows just a day after she removed Donald Trump from the state's presidential primary ballot. She becomes the latest elected politician to become a target of swatting, which involves making a prank phone call to emergency services with the intent that a large first responder presence, including SWAT teams, will show up at a residence. Bellows was not home when the swatting call was made, and responding officers found nothing suspicious.
The swatting attempt came after her home address was posted on social media by a conservative activist. "And it was posted in anger and with violent intent by those who have been extending threatening communications toward me, my family and my office," she told the AP in a phone call Saturday. (Bellows previously spoke of other threats.) According to the Maine Department of Public Safety, a call was made to emergency services from an unknown man saying he had broken into a house in Manchester, the address being that of the Bellows' home.
Bellows said the intimidation factors won't work. "Here's what I'm not doing differently," she said. "I'm doing my job to uphold the Constitution, the rule of law." Other high-profile politicians who have been targets of swatting calls include Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
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