In Florida, meanwhile, the Okaloosa County sheriff’s office said in an advisory posted on Facebook that it “received notification of a bomb threat referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area around 9 a.m. this morning.”
While a family member resides at the address, they said “former Congressman Gaetz is NOT a resident. “The mailbox however was cleared and no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results.”
Gaetz was Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration amid allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him.
As he prepares to return to the White House in January, Trump has already swiftly assembled a cabinet of loyalists, including several criticized for severe lack of experience.
The Republican, who appears set to avoid trial on criminal prosecutions related to attempts to overthrow his 2020 election loss, was wounded in the ear in July in an assassination attempt.