{"id":2424602,"date":"2025-04-17T10:13:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T14:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-urges-doj-to-investigate-shapiro-arson-attack-as-federal-hate-crime-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-04-17T10:14:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T14:14:11","slug":"schumer-urges-doj-to-investigate-shapiro-arson-attack-as-federal-hate-crime-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-urges-doj-to-investigate-shapiro-arson-attack-as-federal-hate-crime-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Schumer urges DOJ to investigate Shapiro arson attack as federal hate crime &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fschumer-urges-doj-to-investigate-shapiro-arson-attack-as-federal-hate-crime-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2424602&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called on attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate an arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro&#8217;s residence as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/portland-coffee-shop-attacked-for-holding-pro-police-event\/\" title=\"Portland Coffee Shop ...ed for Holding Pro-... Event\">potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mother-of-ahmaud-arbery-files-civil-lawsuit-on-anniversary-of-sons-killing\/\" title=\"Mother Of Ahmaud Arbery Files Civil Lawsuit On Anniversary Of Son\u2019s Killing\">federal hate crime<\/a><\/a>. The attack, which occurred on April 13, 2025, is suspected to have been motivated by the assailant&#8217;s disdain for Shapiro&#8217;s political stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, as evidenced by his statements to authorities. Schumer highlighted the troubling nature of the incident, linking it to antisemitism, especially as it occurred shortly after a Passover festivity hosted by Shapiro&#8217;s family.<\/p>\n<p>The suspect, Cody Balmer, has been charged with attempted homicide, terrorism, and aggravated arson after allegedly setting fire to the governor&#8217;s mansion and expressing hatred towards Shapiro. Schumer believes the investigation must consider the antisemitic motivations behind the attack, especially in the context of rising antisemitism nationally. Balmer&#8217;s actions resulted in meaningful damage to the home but fortunately did not injure Shapiro or his family. While Bondi condemned the attack, she did not label it as &#8220;domestic terrorism.&#8221; Schumer underscored the need for federal civil rights scrutiny to ensure that no <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">public official faces targeting based<\/a> on their faith.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Schumer urges DOJ to investigate Shapiro arson attack as federal hate crime<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2097767\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)\">Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)<\/a> urged Attorney General <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pam-bondi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Pam Bondi\">Pam Bondi<\/a> to open an investigation into whether the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3379215\/shocking-photos-shapiro-arson-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"recent arson attack\">arson attack<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/josh-shapiro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Gov. Josh Shairo&rsquo;s (D) \">Gov. Josh Shapiro&rsquo;s (D-PA)<\/a> residence constitutes a federal hate crime after the suspect apparently told officials he targeted Shapiro over his perceived stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Given the deeply troubling allegations that the suspect targeted Governor Shapiro based in part on his religious identity, the April 13 incident warrants immediate and serious federal scrutiny,&rdquo; Schumer wrote in a letter to Bondi on Thursday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3382723\/normal-democrats-pushed-out-party-subtraction-salena-zito\/\">&#8216;Normal Democrats&#8217; are being pushed out by party&#8217;s &#8216;subtraction&#8217;: Salena Zito<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3382772\/chris-van-hollen-el-salvador-visit-denied-see-abrego-garcia\/\">Senate Democrat Chris Van Hollen denied by El Salvador to see Abrego Garcia<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3382569\/hakeem-jeffries-supports-ban-stock-trading-congress-members\/\">Jeffries backs stock trading ban for lawmakers previously shunned by Pelosi<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Schumer, the highest-ranking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jewish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Jewish<\/a> elected official in the country, pointed to recent revelations in a police search warrant made public on Wednesday as evidence that the attack should be investigated as a possible antisemitic hate crime. The New York senator, who recently wrote a book about the resurgence of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antisemitism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">antisemitism<\/a> in the United States, also mentioned that Shapiro&rsquo;s family hosted a Passover celebration hours before the attack.<\/p>\n<p>Cody Balmer, 38, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3381815\/cody-balmer-suspect-shapiro-arson-attack-israel-gaza-conflict\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">allegedly intended<\/a> to assault Shapiro with a sledgehammer if given the chance. In a 911 call placed shortly after the governor&rsquo;s residence was set ablaze, Balmer told the dispatcher he refused to &ldquo;participate in [Shapiro&rsquo;s] plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,&rdquo; according to a police affidavit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pennlive.com\/crime\/2025\/04\/arson-suspect-targeted-pa-gov-shapiro-for-what-he-wants-to-do-to-palestinian-people-search-warrant.html&amp;subscribed=auth0%7C67ff83c45c04df3168b5ed8b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reviewed<\/a> by <em>PennLive<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This image provided by Commonwealth Media Services shows damage after a fire at the Pennsylvania governor&rsquo;s mansion while Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside on Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Commonwealth Media Services via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Balmer admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3379215\/shocking-photos-shapiro-arson-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">another police affidavit said<\/a>. Balmer allegedly smashed the windows of the governor&rsquo;s residence and tossed Molotov cocktails inside. The fire caused extensive interior damage to the 29,000-square-foot home in Harrisburg used by governors since 1968, but police were able to evacuate Shapiro and his family before anyone was injured.<\/p>\n<p>Bondi condemned the attack and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">told<\/a> reporters Wednesday she wants the person responsible to end up &ldquo;behind bars as long as possible.&rdquo; However, she refrained from describing the incident as &ldquo;domestic terrorism,&rdquo; a term the Trump administration has previously used to classify assaults against conservatives, including the high-profile vandalism of Tesla properties and vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump on Monday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3379696\/trump-arson-suspect-shapiro-home-fire-wack-job\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said the Pennsylvania attacker<\/a> was &ldquo;probably just a whack job.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The suspect has since been charged with attempted homicide, terrorism, and aggravated arson, but Schumer believes the charges should go a step further.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These statements&mdash;in conjunction with the timing of the attack during Passover, Governor Shapiro&rsquo;s visible embrace of his Jewish faith, and the context of rising antisemitism globally and across the country &mdash; raise serious concerns about antisemitic motivation,&rdquo; Schumer wrote.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3381815\/cody-balmer-suspect-shapiro-arson-attack-israel-gaza-conflict\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"ARSON SUSPECT TARGETED JOSH SHAPIRO OVER GOVERNOR'S VIEWS ON ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: WARRANT \">ARSON SUSPECT TARGETED JOSH SHAPIRO OVER GOVERNOR&rsquo;S VIEWS ON ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: WARRANT <\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shapiro, a Democratic rising star who nearly became then-Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo;s running mate in the 2024 presidential election, released<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3379215\/shocking-photos-shapiro-arson-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> a statement<\/a> following the arson attack, referencing his Jewish faith.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When we were in the state dining room last night, we told the story of Passover and the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt to freedom,&rdquo; Shapiro said. &ldquo;I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone attempts to put on me by attacking us as they did here last night. I refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" title=\"Letter to DOJ Re Shapiro Hate Crime (4.17.25)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/850928607\/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-9zJlOjL2SqjotNfTCqYl\" tabindex=\"0\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7729220222793488\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; display: block;\"> <a title=\"View Letter to DOJ Re Shapiro Hate Crime (4.17.25) on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/850928607\/Letter-to-DOJ-Re-Shapiro-Hate-Crime-4-17-25#from_embed\" style=\"color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;\">  Letter to DOJ Re Shapiro Hate Crime (4.17.25) <\/a> by <a title=\"View web-producers's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/701058553\/web-producers#from_embed\" style=\"color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;\"> web-producers <\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2097767\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2097767\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Schumer calls for DOJ to probe Shapiro arson as hate crime<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2424603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AP25101547256232-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[13856,7076,33338,4411,50377],"class_list":["post-2424602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-arson","tag-doj","tag-hate-crime","tag-schumer","tag-shapiro-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AP25101547256232-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2424602"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2424606,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424602\/revisions\/2424606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2424603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2424602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2424602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2424602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}