Pennsylvania GOP official claims he was "swatted" after TV appearance supporting Kamala Harris
UPPER MERION, Pa. (CBS) -- A Philadelphia-area Republican official claims he was "swatted" after a recent appearance on CNN and an opinion article where he expressed his support for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
Matthew McCaffery, a member of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, had authored a piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer in July with the headline: "I voted for Trump in 2016. His disrespect for veterans will make me vote for a Democrat."
He then appeared on CNN to discuss the article.
"I keep on fighting the good fight, I want to get good Republicans elected to office, especially here in Montgomery County," McCaffery said in an appearance on the network via video call. "And as long as Trump is on the top of the ticket, we're just going to keep losing."
The alleged swatting incident took place after the appearance.
"Swatting" is when someone makes a "prank call" to emergency services --- in hopes that a large number of police will be dispatched to a particular location.
"My family was swatted in what Upper Merion police are classifying as a politically motivated crime," McCaffery wrote in a post on X. He went on to add, "these type of attacks are exactly why I'm speaking out against the MAGA wing of my party ... and why I'm proudly voting for Kamala Harris."
Attached to the post he included home security camera video seeming to show the porch of his home and multiple police officers patting him down. McCaffery is holding his hands up.
Upper Merion Police Chief Blaine Leis did not characterize the incident the same way as McCaffery when CBS News Philadelphia reached out to the department.
"We did receive information about a possible hostage situation at the residence of Mr. McCaffery, and our officers checked the residence and found no issue at the location," Leis said in an email. "The incident is an active criminal investigation and we will not speculate on motives."