Judge overseeing Trump’s D.C. prosecution hit with “swatting” call

The judge overseeing former president Donald Trump’s Washington D.C. election subversion case was subject to a “swatting” call over the weekend. The Messenger reported that the call was placed to Chutkan’s home on Saturday night, shortly after 10pm. Police in the area were notified that “multiple people were shot,” but quickly determined that the bogus report was “unfounded,” per reports on X/Twitter. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Brandon Williams R-N.Y., also faced similar “swatting” calls at their personal residences last month. Last week, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called on lawmakers to address the uptick in the phony calls by passing an anti-swatting bill that would enforce harsher penalties for reporting nonexistent threats. “It is deeply troubling to see a rise in swatting and other physical threats. We expect heightened tensions as we head into a major presidential election,” Raffensperger said in a news release. “We expect American citizens to engage in the democratic process — not resort to cowardly acts of intimidation,” he continued. “We’re committed to upholding our democratic principles and fighting for an environment in which citizens can freely and safely participate.”