Prank blamed for spy panic that saw Trump offices evacuated: report
Donald Trump’s Florida campaign offices were evacuated last week over a prank plastic listening device that can be bought for less than $14 on Amazon, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The offices in West Palm Beach were emptied as cops swept in amid reports of beeping under a worker’s desk — and Trump officials reported finding three devices.
But the police report obtained by the Times Tuesday shows it was a hoax rather than an act of espionage.
“FOUND POTENTIAL LISTENING DEVICES // HEARD BEEPING BY DESKS // INTERNAL SECURITY ALSO FOUND DEVICE,” the report read. It says the person who called cops, “THINKS THEY HAVE FOUND LISTENING DEVICES ‘BUGS; IN THE OFFICE.’”
The report continued that 50 people were evacuated while the whole office was swept, but only the plastic prank devices were found.
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It concluded that security officials reported it to be a "prank."
It’s unknown who placed the devices in the office, the Times reported.
Last month, the FBI confirmed that Iran had attempted to hack into the campaigns of Trump and President Joe Biden.