Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called on the Justice Department to investigate the recent arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as a possible hate crime in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday.
The man charged with setting fire to the governor’s residence over the weekend harbored resentment against Shapiro, who is Jewish, because he believed the governor’s stance on Israel was contributing to the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza, according to a police search warrant released Wednesday.
In his letter, Schumer urged the DOJ and FBI to investigate whether the arson attack constituted a federal hate crime, saying that the authorities must “bring the full weight of our civil rights laws to bear” in examining the circumstances of the crime. The Democratic leader cited Balmer’s comments documented in the police search warrant saying he “will not take part in [Shapiro’s] plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people” and “our people have been put through too much by that monster.”
Schumer also wrote that the timing of the attack, which took place during Passover, and “the context of rising antisemitism globally and across the country” bring up “serious concerns about antisemitic motivation.”
Shapiro had come under scrutiny for his support for Israel when he was under consideration to run as Kamala Harris’ vice president in the 2024 election.
Shapiro on Wednesday said that “nothing” the attacker “could do would deter me from doing my job as governor, nothing he could do would deter me from proudly and openly practicing my faith,” adding that “this level of violence has to end.”
Police have charged Cody Balmer with attempted homicide, arson and terrorism. Balmer’s family has said he has long struggled with mental health and declined treatment.
Bondi at a briefing Wednesday deflected from answering whether the attack constituted “domestic terrorism,” though she has classified vandalism and arson against Tesla cars as such in recent anti-Elon Musk protests. At the same briefing, the attorney general denounced the violence against Shapiro as “absolutely horrific” and said the Justice Department and FBI would coordinate with the state investigation into the attack.
