Schumer asks DOJ to investigate Shapiro arson attack as possible hate crime

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. on Thursday called on the Department of Justice to investigate whether an early morning arson attempt at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence last weekend was a hate crime.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in the wake of the attack in Harrisburg, Schumer called on the federal government to do “everything in its power to pursue justice and uphold the fundamental values of religious freedom and public safety.”

Authorities have yet to announce a motive in the attack, and Shapiro himself has been careful not to speculate, expressing confidence in local prosecutors and whatever charges they deem appropriate.

“As to Senator Schumer or anybody else, I don’t think it’s helpful for people on the outside, who haven’t seen the evidence, who don’t know what occurred, who are applying their own viewpoints to the situation, to weigh in in that manner,” Shapiro told reporters Thursday. “My trust is with the prosecutor to make the decision.”

Cody Balmer, 38, was charged Monday with attempted homicide, terrorism, and other serious crimes related to trying to kill Pennsylvania’s governor. Early on Sunday, police said, he walked an hour to reach the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg before scaling a fence, bypassing Shapiro’s 24-7 security detail, and setting three fires in the home before fleeing. Shapiro and his family were in the residence, asleep after having just hosted the first night of Passover that Saturday evening, and were evacuated. Balmer turned himself in to police later Sunday.

According to police in Penbrook, Dauphin County, Balmer’s mother reached out to authorities three days before the arson, reporting her son as “irritable and agitated,” and said she was worried he had been off his medication for about a year. She has since told media her son lives with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

In his letter to Bondi, Schumer referenced a call Balmer made to Dauphin County 911 less than an hour after he allegedly set the fires.

In the call, snippets of which were included in search warrants executed Tuesday, Balmer told dispatchers the governor needs to be told he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.”

“Our people have been put through too much by that monster,” Balmer said over the phone, according to the warrant, adding that “all he has is a banquet hall to clean up.”

In subsequent interviews, Balmer would go on to tell police he was “harboring a hatred” for Shapiro and would have beaten him with a hammer had he encountered him inside the residence.

“These statements — in conjunction with the timing of the attack during Passover, Governor Shapiro’s visible embrace of his Jewish faith, and the context of rising antisemitism globally and across the country — raise serious concerns about antisemitic motivation,” Schumer wrote.

One of the most prominent Jewish elected officials in the country, Shapiro has avoided speculating on Balmer’s motive, though he has repeatedly said he would not let the incident deter him from doing his job as governor or “proudly and openly practicing” his faith.

Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo has said he has not ruled out that Balmer may have targeted Shapiro because of his faith. But Chardo said Wednesday that although any potential hate component is a critical part of the county’s case against Balmer, it is unlikely he will be charged with ethnic intimidation, as it would have no impact on the final penalty. Balmer faces upward of 100 years in prison based on the current charges against him.

“Our federal authorities must bring the full weight of our civil-rights laws to bear in examining this matter,” Schumer wrote, referencing some of Chardo’s past comments about Balmer’s potential motive. “No person or public official should be targeted because of their faith, and no community should wonder whether such acts will be met with silence.”

Shapiro reiterated his confidence in Chardo on Thursday, adding he was not going to question his judgment and trusted his ability to analyze the evidence, apply the law, and “charge this case as he sees fit.”

“Should the Department of Justice choose to bring charges, I’ll also respect their decision to do just that,” Shapiro said.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Balmer has faced criminal charges on several occasions over the last decade, including for assault and forgery, as well as traffic-related offenses. His social media presence on Facebook suggested that he held no allegiance to a specific political party or hatred toward specific groups, posting mostly about drug use and relationship troubles, and memes across the political spectrum.

In 2023, Balmer was charged with three counts of simple assault in a case that is ongoing in Dauphin County. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to one felony count of forgery and was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Hours after the incident, Shapiro told reporters that federal authorities were supporting state police in the investigation and that he had spoken with FBI Director Kash Patel. The FBI’s Philadelphia office confirmed Monday that it is assisting state police in its investigation.

The state police investigation of the attack is underway. The agency has partnered with a third-party expert to conduct an independent security review that will include “a risk and vulnerability assessment” of the mansion as the Pennsylvania Department of General Services focuses on the restoration of the property.

The governor’s residence is typically open for tours, but those have been put on hold as a result of the fires, which affected the state dining room and piano room. According to the general services department, the living quarters and workspace at the residence will reopen “within days.” Shapiro said the residence will still hold its Easter Egg Roll there next week.

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