HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A Pennsylvania Senate committee has authorized subpoenas to Pennsylvania State Police and Abington Township to learn how state money has been spent to secure Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private home following the April attack on the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg.
The vote in the state Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee went along party lines. Its chairman, Republican state Sen. Jarrett Coleman of Lehigh and Bucks counties, said the subpoenas came after months of what he called “stonewalling” from the governor’s office. He said no one disputed the governor should have reasonable and appropriate protection.
“But no administration, Republican or Democrat, should be allowed to operate in the shadows and refuse to provide basic details about their decisions when millions of taxpayer dollars are being involved,” Coleman added.
Subpoenas will be issued to Abington Township regarding zoning and construction permits for Shapiro’s Jenkintown home and attempts to acquire or do work on a neighbor’s property, along with construction and landscaping costs paid by the state.
The committee has also demanded body camera video and audio from state police regarding the neighbor’s property. The agencies have until Jan. 16 to comply.
The governor’s office says the work at Shapiro’s Jenkintown home is a result of security assessments after 38-year-old Cody Balmer threw Molotov cocktails into the governor’s residence in Harrisburg in April, and tried to kick in a door to attack Shapiro and his family with a hammer. Balmer pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.
“Following the assassination attempt on the Governor’s life and attack on the Governor’s Residence earlier this year, the Pennsylvania State Police and independent security experts conducted thorough reviews to pinpoint security failures, review protocols, identify gaps, and make concrete recommendations for improvements to the Governor’s security. As a direct result of those recommendations, security improvements have been put in place to keep the Governor and his family safe,” said spokesman Will Simons.
“The Shapiro Administration has repeatedly responded to lawmakers' inquiries on this matter and publicly released a substantial amount of information about the security improvements put in place by PSP without compromising those security protocols. While Governor Shapiro is speaking about political violence alongside the Republican Governor of Utah, Senator Coleman is once again showing clear disregard for the Governor and his family's safety — leveling partisan attacks through the press instead of working in good faith to protect the Governor and future governors while carefully stewarding taxpayer dollars.”
Democratic members of the committee said issuing a subpoena is extreme in an investigative process and outside of the committee’s authority, as they lack any legislative purpose.
“It smells of a witch hunt trying to find something that is not there,” said Philadelphia and Montgomery County state Sen. Vincent Hughes.
His fellow Democrat and the committee’s minority chairman, state Sen. Jay Costa, said, “It's almost like you're trying to find a gotcha moment where somebody may have said something.”