Swatting Incidents Targeting Trump-Related Figures Raise Concerns Amid 2024 Election
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Prominent figures across the political spectrum, including prosecutors and judges involved in Trump cases and some of his allies in Congress, have been recent targets of "swatting" incidents.
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Swatting involves prank calling emergency services to report a fake serious criminal threat to draw a major law enforcement response.
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While the motives behind swatting vary, experts say such incidents targeting public officials will likely increase as Trump's criminal trials approach amid the 2024 election.
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Swatting wastes significant resources and has resulted in injury and even deaths in some cases. Over 500 swatting cases have been logged in an FBI database since May.
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There is currently no federal law specifically prohibiting swatting. Recent legislative attempts to criminalize the practice have failed, but new bipartisan legislation introduced this week aims to establish penalties.