An Upper Merion GOP official went on CNN to support Kamala Harris. He says he was swatted later that day.
Matthew McCaffery, an anti-Trump Republican, may also lose his position in the county party.
An Upper Merion GOP official said his home was swatted Friday after he began publicly urging others to vote against former President Donald Trump in November.
He also might lose his position within the county Republican Party.
Matthew McCaffery, who held a position in the Montgomery County Republican Party as a local leader for Upper Merion Republicans, has been a prominent voice against Trump in the Philadelphia area. Last month, he authored an opinion piece in The Inquirer detailing why he, as a veteran, couldn’t vote for Trump.
McCaffery cited what he saw as Trump’s disrespect for the military, and concern that Trump posed a threat to democracy. He was interviewed on CNN Friday to discuss his position.
McCaffery’s face is also featured on Republicans Against Trump billboards throughout the state. McCaffery is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris this year and has taken an active role working with GOP organizations that oppose Trump.
On Friday night, after his interview on CNN, police arrived at McCaffery’s home in an apparent swatting incident, in which someone calls in a fake emergency to draw police to a specific address, according to video McCaffrey posted to X. Upper Merion police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McCaffery’s video showed him exiting his home with his hands above his head before an officer patted him down. McCaffery said two officers were at his door with their service weapons drawn while another was stationed at the bottom of the stairs to his front porch holding a rifle.
Police, McCaffery said, then searched his home.
“I had an understanding what was happening, but it’s been a while since I had guns pointed at me,” McCaffery said. “It was unnerving.”
While McCaffery’s activism against Trump is not new, it gained new attention as he faces disciplinary action from the Montgomery County GOP. The county party scheduled a disciplinary hearing for McCaffery for Monday night that could result in his ouster.
“Our bylaws state that Republican committee people and municipal leaders have to work for Republican candidates and specifically can’t encourage people to vote against Republican candidates,” said Montgomery County GOP chair Christian Nascimento, adding that his actions to advocate against Trump led to a complaint and Monday’s hearing.
Following the hearing, a disciplinary board will vote whether to remove McCaffery from his position, issue a warning, or do nothing.
McCaffery said he expected to be removed from his position.
“I think people usually just resign,” he said. “I’m not that kind of guy.”