Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Monday her home was the target of a pair of swatting attacks within the span of 48 hours, meant to threaten her as the state’s top elections official.
Swatting entails a hoax call to law enforcement to prompt an armed response. The incidents can put victims in harm’s way when law enforcement arrive at their home with the understanding that officers are responding to a horrific crime, rather than a prank.
Benson thanked local and federal law enforcement for responding to the incidents. “Swatting is a form of political violence that is horrific, dangerous and intended to terrify its victims,” Benson wrote in a social media post on X, shared Monday night. “But hear me clearly: I will not be intimidated. These threats never have and never will deter me from my job: ensuring Michigan citizens can have confidence in their secure, fair, accurate elections.”
Michigan’s Secretary of State office did not immediately respond to a request for further details, including whether it was her Detroit home that was targeted, whether law enforcement will launch an investigation and any information that shows how Benson knows the perpetrator was targeting her because of her job.