Incoming Trump border czar Tom Homan reacted to news of death threats against Trump nominees on Wednesday and said he now takes the death threats he has previously received seriously.
«I have not taken this serious up to this point,» Homan told Fox News anchor Gillian Turner on «The Story» on Wednesday, referring to previous death threats made against him and his family.
«Now that I know what’s happened in the last 24 hours. I will take it a little more serious. But look, I’ve been dealing with this. When I was the ICE director in the first administration, I had numerous death threats. I had a security detail with me all the time. Even after I retired, death threats continued and even after I retired as the ICE director. I had U.S. marshals protection for a long time to protect me and my family.»
Homan explained that what «doesn’t help» the situation is the «negative press» around Trump.
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President-elect Trump, left, and Tom Homan. (Getty Images)
«I’m not in the Cabinet, but, you know, I’ve read numerous hit pieces. I mean, you know, I’m a racist and, you know, I’m the father of family separation, all this other stuff. So the hate media doesn’t help at all because there are some nuts out there. They’ll take advantage. So that doesn’t help,» he said.
Homan’s comments come shortly after Fox News Digital first reported that nearly a dozen of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees and other appointees tapped for the incoming administration were targeted Tuesday night with «violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,» prompting a «swift» law enforcement response.
Former President Trump pumps his fist as he arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on Sept. 18. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The «attacks ranged from bomb threats to ‘swatting,’» according to Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman and incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
«Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,» she told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. «In response, law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action.»
Sources told Fox News Digital that John Ratcliffe, the nominee to be CIA director; Pete Hegseth, the nominee for secretary of defense; and Rep. Elise Stefanik, the nominee for U.N. ambassador, were among those targeted. Brooke Rollins, who Trump has tapped to be secretary of agriculture, and Lee Zeldin, Trump’s nominee to be EPA administrator, separately revealed they were also targeted.
Threats were also made against Trump’s labor secretary nominee, GOP Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and the family of former Trump attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz.
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Former President Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents after being shot at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
Homan told Fox News that he is «not going to be intimidated by these people» and «I’m not going to let them silence me.»
«What I’ve learned today I’ll start taking a little more serious.»
Homan added that he believes «we need to have a strong response once we find out who is behind all this.»
«It’s illegal to threaten someone’s life. And we need to follow through with that,» he said.
The threats on Tuesday night came mere months after Trump survived two assassination attempts.
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
