Top lawmakers say they won’t consider whether to hold hearings about the security breach until a review is complete, or are still weighing what actions to take.
Stephen Caruso and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA
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HARRISBURG — A “third-party expert” will conduct an independent security review of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence after a hammer-wielding man broke into the mansion and set fire to the building, the Pennsylvania State Police announced Wednesday.
Top Pennsylvania lawmakers say they won’t consider whether to hold hearings about the security breach until a review is complete, or are still weighing what actions to take.
The attack — allegedly executed by a man who suffers from mental health issues, according to this family — happened early Sunday morning. Officials say 38-year-old Cody Balmer climbed a roughly seven-foot fence around the Harrisburg residence, broke two windows, entered the home where Shapiro was sleeping, and threw three Molotov cocktails. The damage was severe.
Balmer escaped over the fence and wasn’t taken into custody until he turned himself in.
In a statement, State Police said the independent review will include “a risk and vulnerability assessment” of the governor’s residence and grounds on the banks of the Susquehanna River. No further information was immediately available, including whether the findings will be made public.
Earlier this week, Spotlight PA asked the State Police to provide information about the review, including whether it would be internal, what facets would be examined, and what information, if any, would be made publicly available. A spokesperson did not immediately respond.
Balmer awaits trial on eight charges, including terrorism, arson, and attempted murder.
A warrant obtained by PennLive alleges that Balmer was motivated by his perception of Shapiro’s stance on Palestine.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, has no power over American foreign policy as Pennsylvania’s governor.
He has taken a central role in condemning antisemitism and what he sees as weak responses to it in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis. He also backed a bill to punish colleges that divest from Israel, and implemented an order for public employees to avoid “scandalous conduct” during a wave of protests opposing Israel’s invasion of Gaza last spring that has killed upwards of 50,000 people. He has also criticized Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him “one of the worst leaders of all time.”
Shapiro, his family, and other guests had celebrated the first night of Passover at the residence Saturday evening and were asleep there when the attack occurred early Sunday. They were evacuated from the residence quickly, and no one was hurt.
Still, the State Police have not answered in detail questions about how Balmer — an unemployed mechanic and welder — managed to evade capture by a specialized detachment that guards the governor.
Expert: Findings of review should be public
The residence itself is managed by the Department of General Services, which employs people to cook and clean as well as maintain the grounds. The residence is currently surrounded by a nearly 7-foot iron security fence and has security video cameras monitoring each side.
The special State Police detail responsible for protecting the governor and the first family also has an office inside the residence that is staffed around the clock.
Charles Marino, a former supervisory agent for the U.S. Secret Service who now runs a private company specializing in security assessment and protection, said the review should be “external,” and the findings should be made public.
The danger of an internal review without any public accountability is “public perception,” he said.
“And the perception right from the start is that the books are going to be cooked and the outcomes won’t be honest and transparent,” said Marino.
Though there are still many unknowns — including how many State Police troopers were on duty when the attack occurred — Marino said that when a security breach of this magnitude happens, “you need an honest review of the strength or lack thereof of the security program” in place, and a rigorous assessment of best practices and whether they were followed.
Any review, he said, should include an assessment of whether the threat of an attack should have been known in advance; whether that threat was properly identified; and whether there was a deterrence plan in place to adequately respond to it.
That is especially true for a public official like Shapiro, who has a national profile and likely presidential ambitions.
“The threat environment in the U.S. is elevated,” said Marino. “And so just knowing what I know about Gov. Shapiro and the ongoings domestically, especially in the area of antisemitism, I would expect to see enhanced protections around him.”
Will legislative hearings follow?
Spotlight PA contacted Democratic and Republican leadership in both the state House and Senate about their plans for investigating the arson attack.
In an email, House Democratic spokesperson Beth Rementer said that “State Police are conducting an investigation and we await their findings.”
“We’re relieved that the Governor and his loved ones are safe and no one was injured,” she added.“This act of arson is reprehensible and the perpetrator should face the full weight of the law.”
House Republican spokesperson Jason Gottesman struck a similar tone, saying that “while there are certainly questions about how an act of arson was able to occur at a protected facility like the Governor’s Residence, we believe it is prudent to allow law enforcement agencies to conclude their investigations and then we will proceed as appropriate based on those findings.”
The state Senate, led by Republicans, is discussing internally what to do next.
State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) told PCN he was “concerned there was such a breach of the security network that is designed to protect the governor.”
He added that legislators need to “figure out what the root causes are,” such as looking at mental health treatment.
Balmer’s mother told the Associated Press she had contacted four police departments but “couldn’t get anybody to help. So he was mentally ill, went off his meds, and this is what happened.”
Balmer’s brother added to the outlet Tuesday: “He’s had ups and downs his whole life with the bipolar. He doesn’t believe he’s bipolar, so he doesn’t take his medicine.”
Cody Balmer told a judge Monday that he is not mentally ill and that he is off medication because it “led me to different types of behavior.”
State legislators regularly hold informational hearings on matters of public importance. These can be on specific topics, such as education funding or AI in state government, or with a specific state agency.
Each chamber has bipartisan standing committees divided by specific topic areas, as well as caucus-specific policy committees.
State Senate rules give all 23 standing committees subpoena power; state House rules only allow the Appropriations Committee, which interrogates each governor’s budget pitch, to issue subpoenas without additional approval from the chamber.
Legislative subpoenas aren’t common, but they are issued. Most recently, the upper chamber’s Intergovernmental Affairs Committee demanded that the state Department of Revenue hand over information related to a special tax zone in Allentown.
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