Federal Judge Overseeing Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 Election Interference Case Is Recent ‘Swatting’ Victim

Judge Tanya Chutkan was the victim of a late-night swatting call on Jan. 7.

A dangerous prank known as “swatting” recently targeted the home of Judge Tanya Chutkan, the federal judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election interference case in Washington, D.C.

According to sources, Chutkan was the victim of a late-night swatting call on Jan. 7 in which a male caller falsely claimed he had shot his girlfriend and would kill himself, CNN reported. The caller provided Judge Chutkan’s address.

Thankfully, when Metropolitan Police responded, they determined there was no actual shooting at the judge’s residence.

This disturbing incident comes as Judge Chutkan continues to preside over Trump’s high-profile Jan. 6 election subversion trial.

Chutkan has already faced multiple threats related to the case. Another such incident includee a voicemail death threat last summer from a Texas woman who threatened to kill the judge if Trump was not re-elected in 2024, the news outlet reported.

Just last month in December 2023, Chutkan rejected Trump’s request to delay the high-profile trial and scheduled it to begin in March 2024, Forbes noted. The date will come right before voters in over a dozen states cast primary ballots.

Swatting has also targeted other election and government officials. Late in Dec. 2023, Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was swatted after removing Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot, The New York Times reported.

Florida Senator Rick Scott and Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also faced swatting incidents over the 2023 holidays, CNN reported.

This escalation of swatting public servants shows the danger of disinformation and politically motivated threats. Though thankfully no one was harmed in this incident, swatting wastes emergency resources and risks lives.

With the 2024 election nearing, swatting incidents are illegal intimidation of officials.

Swatting is the criminal harassment tactic of making false emergency calls to lure police to a location under false pretenses.