NY’s Lee Zeldin, Elise Stefanik Targeted in Pipe Bomb Threats

Photo Credit: Office of Cong. Lee Zeldin / Public Domain

Israeli MK Yoav Kisch and US Congressman Lee Zeldin, 2017

Former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin, appointed to serve as the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the incoming Trump Administration, was targeted Wednesday with a “pro-Palestinian themed” pipe bomb threat.

A pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message. My family and I were not home at the time and are safe. We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops. We are thankful for the swift…

— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) November 27, 2024

Zeldin and his family live in Shirley, New York, but were not home at the time the threat was delivered.

Multiple Trump appointees and nominees have been targeted with bomb threats and “swatting” incidents this week, according to incoming President Donald Trump’s transition team spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.

The threats were made Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted, Leavitt said.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), nominated by Trump to serve as the next US Ambassador to the United Nations, was also targeted with a bomb threat.

Stefanik said in a statement on Wednesday that she, her husband and their 3-year-old son were driving from Washington, DC, to their family home in New York state when they were informed of the threat against their home.

Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Fox News commentator and US military veteran Pete Hegseth, was likewise targeted.

“This morning, a police officer arrived at our home – where our seven children were still sleeping. The officer notified my wife and I that they had received a credible pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family. We are all safe and the threat has been cleared,” Hegseth said in a separate post on the X social media platform.

Zeldin, Stefanik and Hegseth are all firm supporters of the State of Israel.