Republican Rep. Brandon Williams ‘swatted’ on Christmas Day
US Rep. Brandon Williams had his upstate New York home “swatted” on Christmas Day by an unknown prankster, just hours after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was also visited by local law enforcement.
“Our home was swatted this afternoon. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving,” Williams (R-NY), 56, announced Monday afternoon on X. “They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!”
The freshman New York Republican, whose House district includes the cities of Syracuse and Utica, added that US Capitol Police and local officers were investigating who called in the false threat that sent five cruisers to his residence.
“The deputies & troopers were polite, professional, & prompt. God bless them,” he added.
It’s unclear to what alleged incident the authorities were responding. People “swat” others by filing false police reports, usually of alleged violence, so that their victim gets a surprise visit from heavily armed law enforcement, such as a SWAT team.
A spokesman for Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Armed law enforcement officers also were called to Greene’s home on Monday after a false call was put in to a suicide hotline in which a person claimed to have shot his girlfriend and was threatening to kill himself.
The Georgia Republican posted on X that it was “like the 8th time” she has been “swatted.”
“My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn’t have to deal with this,” she wrote.
“I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!”
A spokesperson for the Rome Police Department confirmed to The Post “that there was no emergency” and the officers’ “response was actually canceled en route.”
Greene later revealed she had been threatened on social media Dec. 21 by a man who told the congresswoman she would “be shot in the head and skinned to make a ‘parasol’ making a reference to [Ed] Gein, who was a psychopath killer who would make things out of his victim’s skin.”
But the threatening man, whom Greene identified as Ben McLean in screenshots, was not arrested by either local or Capitol police, she fumed.
“They have not arrested Ben McLean yet. They simply called him on the phone and Cap Police sent us this email about what he said,” Greene posted on X.
“The outright absurdity of this email response and the fact that they have not arrested this guy is shocking, thankfully I’m a gun owner.”
She also claimed the laid-back law enforcement response to her alleged “swatter” revealed an “incredible double standard” when compared with “how the FBI and DOJ treats J6’ers, Pres Trump, and their political enemies.”
“And after today, I have been swatted 8 times but the FBI can’t seem to figure out who is responsible for the swatting and says the law doesn’t allow them to track them down,” Greene said, adding that the “swatting” was “extremely dangerous” and “a waste of police time and resources and harassment.”
“The FBI can do so many things, has even abused FISA to spy on hundreds of thousands of Americans, but can not figure out who wants me killed by a hail of bullets fired by a SWAT team responding to murder suicide calls supposedly coming from me.”
She concluded that she would introduce House legislation “to track down swatters.”
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