Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation into a possible antisemitic hate crime following the arson attack at the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Early Sunday morning, suspect Cody Balmer of Harrisburg allegedly scaled the fence at Shapiro’s Pennsylvania mansion, shattered windows and tossed Molotov cocktails inside the Shapiro’s residence during the Jewish holiday of Passover. Shapiro, who is Jewish, was on the short list to be then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
“While the local district attorney has not yet filed hate crime charges, he acknowledged that Governor Shapiro’s religion appears to have factored into the suspect’s decisions,” Schumer wrote in a letter to Bondi on Thursday. “Our federal authorities must bring the full weight of our civil rights laws to bear in examining this matter. 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.”
On Wednesday, Bondi confirmed that federal authorities are investigating the attack that forced Shapiro and his family to flee their residence in the middle of the night. “It is absolutely horrific what happened to him,” Bondi said. “Those photos — it was horrible. I firmly believe that they wanted to kill him.”
Balmer called 911 following the attack and told the operators that Shapiro needed to know he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” according to a search warrant obtained by PennLive.
In the run-up to the 2024 election, Shapiro voiced his support for Israel but also sought to clarify his stance on the Middle East conflict saying that he favored a “two-state solution — Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully side-by-side, being able to determine their own futures and their own destiny.”
Schumer said there are obvious connections between Shapiro’s past statements and the attack. “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,” Schumer’s letter continued, “raise serious concerns about antisemitic motivation.”
“I appreciate your strong condemnation of the attack and urge you to ensure that the federal government does everything in its power to pursue justice and uphold the fundamental values of religious freedom and public safety,” Schumer wrote. “I look forward to your response and to the Justice Department’s continued vigilance in the face of antisemitic violence.”
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