The home of former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was raided by “heavily armed” police on Friday after a caller misinformed authorities that there was a shooter at the address.
According to the police, they were responding to a report of a person experiencing a mental health crisis. He was threatening to shoot someone. According to NBC reporter Frank Thorp, “No victim has been found,” and an officer told him that a man claimed to have “a rifle.”
At 10:45 a.m., the incident occurred at Bannon’s residence in Washington, DC, while his program War Room was being broadcast live. The show continued uninterrupted as armed police surrounded Bannon’s home.
In response to the incident, Bannon said in a statement to Breitbart News, “Honey badger don’t give a fuck.”
“For about an hour, police closed streets near the Supreme Court and the Capitol, sparking worries about an active shooter. Police reopened the streets around 12:30 p.m. after determining there was no shooting, no weapon, no threat, and no victim, according to The Washington Post. Police were “heavily armed,” according to The Post, and they “walked through the rowhouse and spoke with those inside to ensure it was safe.”
The call “appears to have been a’swatting’ attempt,” a police spokeswoman said, according to The Post, against Bannon, the former chairman of Breitbart News.
“The police were terrific,” Bannon told NBC News.
