‘SECURITY FOUND DEVICE’: Maggie Haberman Reports Trump Offices Evacuated And Searched Over $14 Prank Gadget

New York Times correspondent and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman reported that former President Donald Trump’s campaign offices were evacuated and searched after devices were discovered and thought to be surveillance bugs.

In a humdinger of a report co-authored with Jonathan Swan, Haberman obtained a police report that ticked through the incident that led to the evacuation, and which Haberman surmised was fueled by “paranoia” over the email hack the campaign reported earlier this summer.

Once the devices were found, the police were called — but as Haberman wrote, “The reality was more Charlie Chaplin than John le Carré“:

A plastic prank device that can be purchased on Amazon for $13.97 was the cause of the problem.

A police report from the West Palm Beach police department, obtained by The New York Times, detailed the incident. Devices were found on Thursday after people heard beeping under a staff member’s desk at the Trump campaign offices. When Trump officials searched, they found additional devices, for a total of three.

“FOUND POTENTIAL LISTENING DEVICES // HEARD BEEPING BY DESKS // INTERNAL SECURITY ALSO FOUND DEVICE,” the police report reads. The person making the report, according to the document, “THINKS THEY HAVE FOUND LISTENING DEVICES ‘BUGS; IN THE OFFICE.’”

Despite the police presence, officials determined quickly that the devices were likely a prank. No one has owned up to the prank, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

A Trump spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The police report said that “about fifty employees evacuated the suites.” The security official who works for the offices in the building told the police he believed “the devices were part of a prank. The suites were canvassed for any additional devices and evidence yielding negative results,” according to the document.

Based on the description and price point, the devices appear to have been the “AnnoyingPCB” — billed as “the ultimate gag gift or revenge pranks”:

• ONE DEVICE, UNLIMITED CHAOS: AnnoyingPCB is the ultimate gag gift or revenge pranks. Simply activate the noise maker and hide it. It will beep, screech, or make a cricket sound at random intervals of 5 to 45 minutes. Perfect April Fools Day prank for your friends or coworkers!
• COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT: This super small annoying sound device can hide easily in most places. This little noise prank is inconspicuous and hard to find. It is light enough for off-brand tape or a magnet to hold it in place.

The device has a battery life of 3 years, so the Trump campaign got off relatively quickly.