The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will “very closely” monitor an uptick in attempted swattings of government officials after someone called in a false report of a fire at the White House on Monday.
The White House had previously not commented on the incident, which led to a number of Washington, D.C., EMS and fire services being deployed to the scene before the call was determined to be a false alarm. Instead, officials had directed inquiries back to the Secret Service and district government offices.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fielded two questions on the topic during Tuesday’s press briefing, which was conducted via conference call due to the winter storm that blanketed Washington with snow on Monday and Tuesday.
The press secretary initially declined to comment, but when pressed on whether the new trend posed a “risk or danger” to society, she responded affirmatively.
“I think what you just stated is correct, right? It is creating a danger and a risk to our society,” she said. “There are things that we’re going to monitor. This is something, obviously, the Secret Service is going to monitor very closely, as it relates to us specifically at the White House or this administration, and so I’m just going to be really mindful and leave it there. But how you stated the question is obviously a concern.”
Monday’s call targeting the White House was carried out in the 7 a.m. hour Eastern time from an anonymous number. And like past calls targeting special counsel Jack Smith and New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, both of whom are linked to former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles, the incident has yet to produce any suspects or arrests.
“We condemn any form of threats or violence against any judges in any group,” Jean-Pierre previously told reporters regarding the targeting of Smith and Engoron. “So I just want to make that clear. That is something that we’re certainly steadfast on continuing to say and have been very clear about that.”
You can listen to Tuesday’s briefing in full below.