We've been closely tracking developments in the case involving a deranged individual who targeted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) for assassination in the early morning hours Sunday as he and his family slept.
Though the accused domestic terrorist who is said to have used Molotov cocktails in the arson attack caused what authorities have described as "significant damage" to the governor's residence, the good news is that everyone, including the family's two dogs, was safely evacuated in time by police as firefighters worked to put out the blaze.
Since that time, we've learned disturbing details about the suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer. According to reports, Balmer shared "pics of himself pointing a gun at the camera, and appearing to breathe fire, as well as a photo of an embroidered flaming Molotov cocktail" on social media. Further, the probable cause affidavit notes that police said "he’d planned to beat Shapiro with a hammer if he encountered him."
The Usual Suspects in the MSM, of course, have been desperately trying to push a MAGA narrative about Balmer, as ABC News, for instance, did below:
A mechanic who had previously expressed disdain for Democrats was arrested in connection with a fire early Sunday at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence, sources told @ABC News.
— ABC News (@ABC) April 14, 2025
Read more: https://t.co/dGdojarOLA pic.twitter.com/bI9pYhKHyv
Though Balmer was reportedly critical of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the ABC News piece was truly one of the most deliberately manipulated "news stories" you'll ever see, especially considering unconfirmed social media postings that show someone with the same name admitting to being a "registered socialist" and showing support for BLM and criticism of the MAGA movement.
Further, with Shapiro being Jewish and the attack happening on Passover, there was speculation that Balmer targeted the governor because of his faith.
As it turns out, it appears that speculation was pretty much on the mark:
The suspect, Cody Balmer, called 911 following the attack early Sunday, identified himself by name and told operators Shapiro needs to know he “…will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” the search warrant written by police said.
Balmer continued, saying he needed to “stop having my friends killed” and that “...our people have been put through too much by that monster,” according to the warrant, which says Balmer’s intonation and cadence sounded like he was possibly reading from a script.
[...]
In the warrant for his devices signed Tuesday, Corporal Benjamin Forsythe of the Pennsylvania State Police says Balmer targeted Shapiro “based upon perceived injustices to the people of Palestine,” as well as Shapiro’s Jewish faith, though the warrant does not elaborate on why Shapiro’s faith is believed to have been a motive.
So Balmer is pro-Hamas. What a surprise. Not.
As my RedState colleague Bob Hoge observed in his write-up, though the actions of extremists are their own and no one else's, "it’s hard to ignore that we’ve seen multiple assassination attempts against" Republicans, including Trump and pro-Israel Democrats like Shapiro, "as Democrats increasingly call for violence."
Though I pray it doesn't happen, I fear if Democrats keep escalating their rhetoric, someone's going to get seriously hurt - or worse. Shapiro, his family, and staff were fortunate and blessed to have gotten out okay. But the local fire chief said that's thanks in large part to certain doors in the residence that were closed, which kept the fire from spreading to other parts of the home. This could have had a devastatingly tragic outcome otherwise.
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