FBI investigating fake ‘SWAT' calls against conservative media figure
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it would launch a probe into fake swatting calls after noticing an uptick in pranks involving conservative media figures that have warranted a response from law enforcement.
'I want to address the alarming rise in 'Swatting' incidents targeting media figures. The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable,' FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a Friday morning post on X.
'This isn't about politics—weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers. That will not be tolerated,' he added.
Several conservative hosts of shows, including Joe Pagliarulo of the 'Joe Pags Talk Show' and Shawn Farash of 'UNGOVERNED,' as well as conservative commentator Nick Sortor, said they have been targeted by individuals who put out false alerts that have involved law enforcement's Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) units
'They send a tactical team to your house pretending. There's an emergency because their hope is to either scare you on the low end or have you come out and confront the police officers and get killed, you know death by cop or something else,' Pagliarulo said in a Thursday post on X, condemning the fake calls.
'It's a political message they're sending, they don't like that you're a conservative or don't like that you're this that or the other,' he continued.
Pagliarulo said law enforcement officers were surrounding his home at 2:00 a.m. earlier this week after someone reported that he was holding people hostage and shooting dogs. He thought he was targeted for his remarks in reference to Ukraine during the last election cycle.
Sortor said the SWAT calls to his family's home was nothing short of 'attempted murder.'
'Both my dad and my sister were swatted tonight. A dozen cops attempted to kick my dad's door in at gunpoint. This is literal f****** terrorism. And the FBI should treat it as such,' he wrote online Thursday.
'Before calling in the swat, this dumb—- sent my sister an email calling me a Nazi, of course. So the motive is clear. In my dad's case, the caller told police my dad was killing my entire family, requiring them to intervene with deadly force.'
The FBI said it would look into the calls and provide more information after the probe.
'We are fully committed to working with local law enforcement to crack down on these crimes,' Patel wrote in his post. 'More updates to come.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
24 minutes ago
- Forbes
FBI Warns iPhone And Android Messaging App Users Not To Click
As the onslaught, and that's what it is, of cyberattacks targeting smartphone users continues, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has some drastic, yet practical advice: do not click on these messages. Here's what the FBI says that iPhone and Android users must do to stay protected against the cybercriminal hackers carrying out these attacks. It feels like the threat from criminal hackers has never been greater, at least if the number of cybersecurity advisories, law enforcement warnings, and critical alerts from some of the best threat intelligence analysts in the business is anything to go by. From Windows users being urged not to open malicious LNK files and ransomware attacks that are skyrocketing. But it's smartphone users who are once again on the sharp end of many of these evolving threat campaigns. Android users have watched as their contacts are turned into hackers, and iPhone users are now advised to have a special code ready to repel malicious callers. The FBI has not been shy of coming forward with warnings itself: a public service cybersecurity advisory concerning an ongoing malicious texting campaign impersonating officials in U.S. federal and government roles, another regarding smartphone attacks against lawful foreigners in the U.S., and even postings to social media platforms such as X warning members of the public about attackers using AI-generated messages. One thing that many of these threats have in common is the use of smartphone messaging to execute their attacks. SMS phishing, known as smishing by some, and voice message phishing which can be referred to as vishing by the same people who seem to hate the English language, are often employed and often driven by AI tools in the background. Yet, no matter how advanced the attack might seem. No matter how sophisticated it all appears, what with AI being involved and brand or officialdom impersonation involved. They nearly all rely on the same tactic to infect the user, to get the victim to download malware or hand over login credentials. Yes, you've guessed it: a malicious link. Which is where the blunt but accurate FBI warning enters the security equation: Do not click. 'Don't click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message. Look up the company's phone number on your own (don't use the one a potential scammer is providing), and call the company to ask if the request is legitimate,' the FBI said.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Only the Senate can stop the largest wealth transfer in US history
Last week, the House Republican majority passed what can only be called their 'Big Billionaire Bill' — a budget reconciliation measure that amounts to one the largest transfers of wealth in American history. This measure literally steals from the poor and the working class to give to the ultra-rich. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I know firsthand how this bill would take from working people and give to the ultra-wealthy. The consequences will be staggering if it becomes law. Republicans promised tax cuts for all. But under their bill, families making $30,000 or less will actually pay approximately $20 billion more in taxes cumulatively over the next decade, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. That's not even counting the impact of losing Medicaid or the higher cost of living caused by Trump's tariffs. Meanwhile, billionaires will pocket an average tax break of $255,000 a year. I grew up working class, working jobs at Target and Subway. Republicans want to make people like me believe that they're helping while raising taxes on them, cutting Medicaid and SNAP, and then telling them to have more babies. That's insulting. My Republican colleagues moved their second attempt at a House Budget Committee hearing to the dead of night — after a failed first try and following late-night markups in several committees the previous week. Alongside my Democratic colleagues, we spent nearly 30 hours grinding their agenda nearly to a halt, from Wednesday at 1 a.m. to to 11 p.m. in the Rules Committee and on the floor. The fact that they had to move their last hearing before it could move to the floor at 1 a.m. tells me they're ashamed of themselves. And they should be. Working families want billionaires to pay their fair share, not to lose their health care and nutrition programs for their kids. I hear it from Americans at town halls, on social media, and even at the grocery store. Millions across the country could lose Medicaid coverage: 3.4 million in California, 400,000 in North Carolina, 250,000 in Minnesota, 380,000 in Texas, 390,000 in Virginia, and 1.2 million in New York — moms, kids, and seniors who could be left without health care. These are real people in every district, many represented by Republicans who voted for this bill. Nearly half of new moms and their babies in California rely on Medicaid and could lose their care. Seniors who can't get enough coverage through Medicare will lose. Sons and daughters who can't afford their parents' nursing home care will lose. People in rural communities, where hospitals are already closing, will lose too. Republicans claim to be the party of families. But their bill makes it harder for working people to get by — harder to welcome a new child, get postpartum care, or afford basic medical needs. Worse, Republicans will make it harder for millions of families to afford groceries every month thanks to cuts to nutrition assistance programs. When billionaires can get richer at the expense of working families, what does that say about us as a nation? I fear America's promise of hope and opportunity will dim if this administration keeps pushing us to the point where no one sees a future here anymore. But I refuse to accept a future where America's greatness is measured by the size of its tax breaks for billionaires instead of the strength of our working families. I call on the Senate to reject this bill and protect the American Dream for everyone. Jimmy Gomez, a Democrat, represents California's 34th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's new travel ban takes effect as tensions escalate over immigration enforcement
President Donald Trump's new ban on travel to the US by citizens from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries took effect Monday amid rising tension over the president's escalating campaign of immigration enforcement. The new proclamation, which Trump signed last week, applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also imposes heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the US and don't hold a valid visa. The ban does not revoke visas previously issued to people from countries on the list, according to guidance issued Friday to all US diplomatic missions. However, unless an applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected starting Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the US even after the ban takes effect. During Trump's first term, a hastily written executive order ordering the denial of entry to citizens of mainly Muslim countries created chaos at numerous airports and other ports of entry, prompting successful legal challenges and major revisions to the policy. No such disruption was immediately discernible at Los Angeles International Airport in the hours after the new ban took effect. Haitian-American Elvanise Louis-Juste, who was at the airport earlier Sunday in Newark, New Jersey, awaiting a flight to her home state of Florida, said many Haitians wanting to come to the US are simply seeking to escape violence and unrest. 'I have family in Haiti, so it's pretty upsetting to see and hear,' Louis-Juste, 23, said of the travel ban. 'I don't think it's a good thing. I think it's very upsetting.' Many immigration experts say the new ban is more carefully crafted and appears designed to beat court challenges that hampered the first by focusing on the visa application process. Trump said this time that some countries had 'deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. He relied extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of people who remain in the US after their visas expired. Measuring overstay rates has challenged experts for decades, but the government has made a limited attempt annually since 2016. Trump's proclamation cites overstay rates for eight of the 12 banned countries. Trump also tied the new ban to a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. US officials say the man charged in the attack overstayed a tourist visa. He is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. The ban was quickly denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security – it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, a nonprofit international relief organization. The inclusion of Afghanistan angered some supporters who have worked to resettle its people. The ban does make exceptions for Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas, generally people who worked most closely with the US government during the two-decade-long war there. Afghanistan had been one of the largest sources of resettled refugees, with about 14,000 arrivals in a 12-month period through September 2024. Trump suspended refugee resettlement his first day in office.
