WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in two federal cases, was the target of an attempted swatting at his Maryland residence on Christmas Day.
According to two law enforcement sources, someone called 911 and said that Smith had shot his wife at the address where Smith lives.
Montgomery County Police dispatched units toward the home but were called off when the Deputy U.S. Marshals protecting Smith and his family told police that it was a false alarm and that everyone inside the home was safe.
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
A spokesperson for the Special Counsel’s Office declined to comment. Police and the U.S. Marshals Service are not commenting either.
Smith has faced a series of threats in the months since he brought an indictment against Trump related to the former president’s alleged efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020.
Smith’s attorney Cecil VanDevender previously told appeals court judges from the D.C. Circuit that Smith’s office has “been subject to multiple threats” and “intimidating communication” after Trump published “inflammatory posts” about Smith.
Smith is also overseeing Trump’s prosecution related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar a Lago home. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
A Justice Department official told NBC News that more than $4.4 million was spent between April and September of last year on security provided by the U.S. Marshals Service for Smith and his team.
Trump was indicted in June in the classified documents probe, and indicted two months later in the election interference case.
NBC News reported earlier Monday that Tanya Chutkan, the federal judge overseeing the election interference case, appeared to be the victim of a similar swatting incident over the weekend.
Swatting involves the false reporting of a crime in progress to draw police to a certain location.
The election interference trial is scheduled to begin March 4, while the classified documents case is scheduled to go to trial on May 20.
Trump is expected to make an appearance at a courtroom in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday as circuit judges hear oral arguments on Trump’s claim of presidential immunity from prosecution in the election interference case.
Michael Kosnar reported from Washington, and Zoë Richards from New York.
