Crime is hitting the Trump presidential campaign.
The sheriff’s office in northern Virginia’s Loudoun County is investigating a break-in at the Trump for President 2024 office in the area of Ashburn, about 30 miles outside Washington, D.C.
And, according to a sheriff’s office statement, investigators aren’t only looking into what might have been taken out of the office.
“It is rare to have the office of any political campaign or party broken into,” Loudoun Sheriff Mike Chapman, a Republican, said in a news release.
“We are determined to identify the suspect, investigate why it happened, and determine what may have been taken as well as what may have been left behind.”
Media Release: The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) is seeking a suspect in connection with a burglary at the Trump for President 2024 campaign office in Ashburn, VA, on August 11, 2024. The office, in the 20000 block of Ashbrook Place, is being leased by the Trump campaign… pic.twitter.com/wkMLb4AP2D
— Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (@LoudounSheriff) August 12, 2024
According to the sheriff’s office release, the man involved in the break-in is white and was wearing dark clothing and carrying a backpack when the crime occurred.
“What may have been left behind” could cover just about anything — especially anything potentially dangerous.
Considering the break-in, which took place about 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the news release, follows a widely reported hacking of the Trump campaign’s internal communications, security concerns are high.
And that, of course, follows the July 13 attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and reports of other plots against the former president.
Given the location of the office, it’s likely it was a deliberate target, not a random opportunity.
“It’s an office park area, kind of a remote office park area, so there would not have been an awful lot of people,” campaign spokesman Thomas Julia told The Washington Post.
The break-in comes at a time of flux in the presidential campaign.
Since President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris, polls have tightened between the Republican and Democratic nominees.
In the political atmosphere, news of the Virginia break-in drew plenty of comment on social media.
Much of it was serious:
They won’t stop. President Trump needs to be protected at all cost.
— FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! (@America12350424) August 12, 2024
So, Trump’s campaign office gets broken into, and we’re supposed to believe it’s just a random crime?
When will people wake up and see the bigger picture?
They’ll do anything to stop him because they fear him
— John (@johnEiid) August 12, 2024
Some of it was humorous — with a political bite:
Found his day job. pic.twitter.com/7vAAgXC7Fz
— Jason “Storm Chaser” Nelson (@RealJasonNelson) August 12, 2024
The suspect has been identified pic.twitter.com/CGwORVfXlX
— Pumponomics (@ClownPeasant) August 12, 2024
Regardless of the take, it was clear the crime had gotten attention.
The sheriff’s office release asks that anyone with information about the case call 571-918-1869.