A senior member of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office is the latest state official to be targeted in a rash of so-called “swatting” incidents that have recently plagued politicians in Georgia and across the nation.
“My family has now joined the ranks of those who have had their home ‘swatted,’ ” Gabriel Sterling, Raffensperger’s chief operating officer, posted Wednesday evening on X, the social media site formerly called Twitter. “We should all refuse to allow bomb threats & swatting to be the new normal.”
Sterling wrote that someone called 911 and reported “a drug deal gone bad” at his home address. Police were dispatched, but the episode concluded without incident.
Sterling joins U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and several state senators as targets of swatting calls over the past two weeks. Jones and state House Speaker Jon Burns both pledged to seek new legislation in response to the attacks when the General Assembly convenes later this month.
The swatting call came hours after Sterling took to X to condemn bomb threats made at the state Capitol and other capitols across the nation Wednesday. The Associated Press reported at least nine states were targeted by hoax threats. In Atlanta, an emailed threat to a Capitol employee resulted in a short evacuation while the building was searched.
“Do not jump to conclusions as to who is responsible,” Sterling wrote. “There will be chaos agents sowing discord for 2024. They want to increase tensions. Don’t let them.”
State and federal law enforcement are investigating the calls, but officials have not said whether they believe the hoax calls are connected.
Sterling, a Republican, emerged as a public face of Georgia’s electoral system in the wake of the state’s 2020 presidential election, publicly refuting conspiracy theories and allegations of election fraud. During a press conference weeks after the election, Sterling memorably called out then-President Donald Trump and his allies for spreading misinformation and called on leaders to condemn the barrage of threats coming to state election workers.
“This has to stop,” he said at the time. “We need you to step up.”
Staff writer Greg Bluestein contributed to this article.
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