Raffensperger received ‘manifesto’ before bomb scare at Macon airport, report says
Georgia Secretary of State and Republican candidate for governor Brad Raffensperger, whose event in Macon this week was delayed by a potential threat, also received threats in a handwritten “manifesto” that’s now under investigation.
According to a news release from Raffensperger’s campaign Wednesday, the candidate received a “credible threat” via a handwritten manifesto, which triggered a security response.
“Multiple law enforcement agencies are aggressively pursuing all leads and Secretary Raffensperger’s safety remains a high priority,” Ryan Mahoney, spokesman for the campaign, said.
The New York Times reported the local sheriff’s office in Clay County, Miss., received the letter Monday and notified the FBI. The outlet also reported the document was four pages long and included a photo of Raffensperger with “boom” written across his forehead.
Raffensperger was scheduled to stop at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon Tuesday morning as part of a statewide fly-around tour. However, the event was delayed after officials were notified of an unknown, “suspicious object” found in an airport vending machine.
Patrol deputies and bomb unit canines swept the evacuated airport and secured the object. No hazardous devices were detected, the sheriff’s office said in a news release at the time.
Raffensperger’s event continued as scheduled after the incident was over.
“When you stand on principle, when you do the right thing, when you put people ahead of politics, not everyone will like it. In fact, some people may try to intimidate you or do you harm,” Raffensperger said in a statement Tuesday.
It is unclear whether the manifesto and the bomb scare at the Macon airport were connected. Information on the manifesto cannot be released, but additional details will be provided as they become available, Wednesday’s release from the campaign said.
When reached Wednesday, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office referred any questions about the incident and investigation to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Telegraph reached out to the GBI for comment and did not receive a response before publication.
