Reuters / COMMONWEALTH MEDIA SERVICES
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said President Donald Trump has not reached out to him since an arsonist tried to set fire to his residence while he was sleeping there with his family during the weekend.
A report by NBC News recalled that Shapiro did condemn the assassination attempt against Trump last July during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, saying that “violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable.”
“It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States. I have been briefed on the situation. Pennsylvania State Police are on the scene in Butler County and working with our federal and local partners,” he added back then. Shapiro also worked with law enforcement and political figures, and called the family of Corey Comperatore, the Trump supporter who was killed during the episode.
Trump stayed completely silent on the matter throughout Sunday, posting on social media about other topics, including Rory McIlroy’s victory in the Augusta Masters. Asked about the matter by press the next day, he initially said he didn’t know about the attempt. “I just heard about it, I have to look into it.” He later dismissed the incident, saying the suspect is “not a fan” of him and described him as “probably just a whack job.”
“I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told, the attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody. It’s probably just a whack job and certainly a thing like that can not be allowed to happen.”
Investigators revealed on Monday that the arsonist, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, was largely motivated by financial issues. He used Molotov cocktails to start the fire, the criminal complaint against him detailed, throwing them inside the mansion after breaking a window with a hammer. He also told authorities he was planning on beating Shapiro with the tool had he ran into him. Balmer is now facing several charges, including attempted murder, arson, burglary and terrorism intended to coerce “the conduct of a government.”
Originally published on Latin Times
