California official targeted for 'swatting' after push to get Trump disqualified: report

California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis was targeted in a "swatting" attack after she publicly called for former President Donald Trump to be disqualified from the state ballot, Politico reported on Thursday.

"The incident at Kounalakis’ Pacific Heights condominium came days after California’s No. 2 official wrote to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber urging her to exclude Trump from California’s 2024 primary," reported Christopher Cadelago. "Weber did not acquiesce to Kounalakis’ request, siding with Gov. Gavin Newsom who telegraphed to fellow Democrats not to get ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court and dismissed the moves as 'political distraction.'"

"Swatting" means placing a fake shooting or other serious criminal report against someone's address, causing a SWAT team to arrive on the property. Such raids are incredibly dangerous, and can lead to injuries or death, as well as tying up vital police resources. Some other politicians have been targeted in similar attacks in recent months, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

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"San Francisco Police responded to Kounalakis’ home about 11:20 a.m. on Dec. 30 after receiving reports of a possible shooting. The officers arrived on the scene and determined there was no merit to the call, public information officer Eve Laokwansathitaya said Thursday," said the report. "Kounalakis and her husband, Markos, were not at home at the time, said Aleksandra Reetz, the lieutenant governor’s deputy chief of staff. Their two college-aged sons were there when police arrived."

While the effort to remove Trump from the California ballot went nowhere, he does face removal after decisions in Colorado and Maine. The push to remove Trump rests on the Insurrection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Supreme Court is all but certain to review these decisions and rule on whether this is an appropriate application of the amendment.