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Governor Shapiro's Home Attacked, Family Evacuated; Person Arrested After Suspected Arson Fire At Pennsylvania's Governor's Mansion; Governor Shapiro Gives A Press Conference; Russia Hits Ukrainian Church With Palm Sunday Missile Attacks. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired April 13, 2025 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the "CNN Newsroom. I'm Jessica Dean in New York, and we begin tonight with an alarming attack on the residents of Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, and his family evacuated in the early hours this morning as police responded to what they're calling an act of arson. No one was injured, but police say that fire did cause significant damage.
Earlier Saturday evening, Shapiro had celebrated the first night of Passover, sharing this image on social media. CNN's Danny Freeman is following this story for us. And, Danny, there's still a lot of unanswered questions about this. We are standing by for a news conference set to start any moment now that will include Governor Shapiro. What is the latest as we know it?
DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, at this moment, the latest is that there is essentially a manhunt going on right now for an arsonist or arsonists suspected of setting fire to the Governor's Mansion in Harrisburg late last night. Like you noted, we're awaiting a press conference any moment now coming out from the Governor's Mansion, but until then, here's what we know at the moment.
This all started last night around 2:00 a.m. where Governor Josh Shapiro and his family, they were sleeping at the residence when he and state police say that they got a knock at the door from first responders saying that their house was on fire. Now, thankfully, the governor and his family were sleeping in a different part of the residence from where the fire was, but they still had to be evacuated.
The fire was ultimately knocked down by Harrisburg firefighters, and thankfully, no one was hurt, but Pennsylvania state police did note that there was a significant amount of damage to part of the residence. Now, at this point, there's a multi-agency investigation going on into exactly what led up to this moment, but Pennsylvania state police said pretty early on this morning that they were prepared to call this an arson investigation and I was able to confirm with the FBI that, federal agents are assisting with this investigation, though Pennsylvania state police is, of course, leading the investigation at this time.
And, Jessica, just as we wait for this news conference to begin, the other thing I'll note is this would be a tragedy and very scary if it were any governor, in any state across the country. But Governor Josh Shapiro, as you and our viewers know, he practices Judaism. He's very faithful when it comes to his religion. And last night was the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover. So it is particularly scary and unsettling to know that on the first night of Passover in particular of all nights, someone chose to set fire to the Governor's Mansion.
Now, like I said, there are still a number of questions that we have including what made Pennsylvania State Police so confident early on that this was an arson. These are all questions that hopefully we'll get answers to in a matter of moments when this press conference begins, Jessica.
DEAN: Yeah. And we, I believe, are looking live at where that press conference is set to begin, and we can see that damage behind police officers there as we wait for that. And, Danny, of course, Shapiro has a large national profile as well, largely viewed as a potential White House contender in 2028. What more can you tell us about the reaction you're hearing from people? So we have the investigation and then kind of political reaction that you're hearing to this.
FREEMAN: Yeah, that's right. And Governor Shapiro's profile really rose to national prominence last fall when he was on the shortlist to potentially be a running mate for vice president Kamala Harris. She ultimately went with, Minnesota governor Tim Walz. But when it comes to the political reaction today, frankly, Jessica, this has been bipartisan. Many, many politicians coming out and denouncing what happened last night.
You had Pennsylvania Republican Dave McCormick denouncing the actions. Texas senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, also denouncing the action saying this is wrong. He called it domestic terrorism. Chuck Schumer, the minority leader in the Senate for Democrats, he also said that he was saddened to hear about this news. Pete Buttigieg speaking out. The reaction really has been quite widespread all condemning these actions.
And it's, again, nerve wracking for a lot of these politicians as well as they wait to hear details of exactly what police believe happened last night overnight in Harrisburg, Jessica.
DEAN: Yeah. And we are hoping to get those details very soon. We're waiting for that. And, Danny, as you note, a concerning, very troubling incident no matter what, but certainly on the first night of Passover, for a Jewish family, especially disturbing as well. Danny Freeman, thank you so much. Please stand by. We will come back to you.
And joining us now is CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. Thanks so much for being here with us. I just want to get your first thoughts. As Danny points out, we have some facts, but not a ton of details right now. What are your thoughts as you're getting all of this information?
[17:04:59]
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yeah, Jessica. So, obviously, hopefully, we'll get a lot more facts to kind of understand the full scope of what's happened here. But I think the one that Danny --the question Danny had is really first on my mind as well. It's a very, very early and confident call that this was an arson. Now some people might think that's, you know, well, obviously, it must have been an arson. That's not actually the case. I would suspect that they have probably made that call so quickly and so confidently because they've recovered some evidence at the scene that that indicates beyond a reasonable doubt that this fire was intentionally started.
That could be things like the presence of an accelerant used to kind of create you know, to grow the fire quickly, could be the presence of an initiation device, some sort of device that was used to actually start the fire. So it'll be interesting to see if they talk about the sort of evidence they've recovered so far. The second big question I have is if this arson was started, by a person who had to have a physical presence on or in the mansion, I mean, that is a pretty, serious breach of security for any politician, but particularly for a major state governor who is also a figure, as you've mentioned, on the national political scene.
So, I would expect that at some point, the state police who are typically responsible for securing the governor and the mansion and his movements and his family and all that stuff will probably get some pointed questions about, you know, just how did someone get onto the property this close to the residence, and, you know, and in a position where they could start a fire like this. So that's --
DEAN: Yeah.
MCCABE: -- those are two of the things I'll be listening for.
DEAN: Yeah. I know. It's just we're -- it's so striking. We're looking at it right now, and it's just right there by the doors of what appears to be this this this residence. It is remarkable that it was that close. In terms of looking, the manhunt for whoever is responsible, what might that look like? How do they begin to try to put these pieces together? And what different agencies are doing different things?
MCCABE: Yeah. So it's totally foreseeable that the FBI would help with this effort. And no question, Pennsylvania state police are likely the lead investigative agency here. This is an arson. Arson is typically prosecuted as a state or local crime. And, of course, as I said, they have responsibility for securing that property. But the FBI brings unique tools and capabilities and a lot of that can come in relevant and helpful when it comes to the manhunt.
I would expect the first thing they'll try to do if they believe someone accessed the property to start this fire is they are going to look very closely at video surveillance. Now I don't know what sort of video surveillance they have on the grounds there. I would expect they should have some pretty elaborate system. But even if their own systems there fail to catch this person, they'll begin to spread out in a grid search of the areas, the streets, the homes, the businesses around the mansion to find out to really try to identify any vehicle that could have been in the area, around the times that they believe this person likely, approached the property.
And then each one of those vehicles will be identified and traced back to a human being. All those people will be located and hopefully interviewed. And it's from that sort of very basic broad work initially that you try to find -- you try to identify the person that you're then going to look for in the manhunt. It's hard to start a manhunt until you have an actual person or a vehicle or some identifiable device or individual to look for.
DEAN: Absolutely. Okay. And just to remind everyone, we are standing by for a news conference there in Harrisburg. Andrew, stay with us. I want to go back to Danny Freeman who is there in Philadelphia. And, Danny, I know you can kind of walk us through the layout of the Governor's Mansion, kind of how it is laid out, how the, you know, how someone might have gotten this close. There's just a lot of questions around this. What do you know?
FREEMAN: Right. Exactly. And I want to just jump off of something that Andrew was saying just there because, Pennsylvania's governor's mansion is in an interesting part of Harrisburg. And frankly, it's part of the community. So the Governor's Mansion is about a mile away from the actual downtown Harrisburg, the Capitol Building itself. And it's just in a regular neighborhood. It's on kind of a busy street. There's a gas station directly across from the Governor's Mansion. There's a 7-11 there as well. People can walk right up to the fence there that I believe you're seeing images of. So, to this, oh --
DEAN: And Danny, we are seeing Governor Shapiro. I'm sorry to interrupt you. Hang on one second. We are seeing governor Shapiro so I want to listen to him.
(BEGIN LIVE VIDEO)
JOSH SHAPIRO, GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA: Good afternoon.
[17:08:51]
Last night at approximately 02:00 in the morning, while my family and I were asleep upstairs here at the Governor's Residence, one of the state troopers assigned to our detail banged on our door, woke us up, and told us we had an emergency and needed to leave immediately. Together, we secured all of our children, our two dogs, our family that was staying with us, and the troopers safely evacuated us from the governor's residence.
Last night, we experienced an attack not just on our family, but on the entire Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania here at the Governor's Residence. I want to thank the Pennsylvania State Police for safely evacuating our family, for their bravery last evening, and for their careful leadership of this investigation. I want to thank Harrisburg Fire and their chief who was personally on the scene and spent time with me and my family last night.
He and the other firefighters from Harrisburg ran toward danger to help keep us safe and quickly putting out the fire. I want to thank the Capitol Police for assisting the Pennsylvania State Police last night in ensuring everything was orderly. I want to thank the FBI and our federal partners for their assistance.
I spoke a couple hours ago with Director Kash Patel of the FBI. He promised all of the resources of the federal government. He was extremely kind and courteous and thoughtful in his conversation with me, and I thanked him and the women and men of the FBI and the president of the United States for their support. Especially want to thank your local district attorney, Fran Chardo. Fran is someone I've known for 20 years in public service, outstanding leader in law enforcement. You'll hear from him in a few moments.
Lori and I are -- Lori and I are overwhelmed by the prayers and the messages of support that we've received from all across Pennsylvania and all across the United States. We've heard from our fellow governors and first spouses. We've heard from several of the former governors of Pennsylvania. We've heard from so many friends and loved ones, and we've heard from so many caring citizens of this great commonwealth.
I want you all to know that your prayers lift us up. And in this moment of darkness, we are choosing to see light, and we appreciate the light that you have shined upon us. Pennsylvania State Police led by Colonel Christopher Paris will brief on the specifics of what transpired, but we do know that this attack was targeted. We don't know the person's specific motive yet, but we do know a few truths.
First, this type of violence is not okay. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society, and I don't give a damn if it's coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another or one particular person or another. It is not okay, and it has to stop. We have to be better than this. We have a responsibility to all be better.
Second, if this individual was trying to deter me from doing my job as your governor, rest assured, I will find a way to work even harder than I was just yesterday for the good people of Pennsylvania. Here's a third truth. If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me on this.
[17:14:58]
We celebrated our faith last night proudly, and in a few hours, we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover again proudly. No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly. I am grateful to the good people of Pennsylvania for giving me the honor to serve as their 48th governor. I will continue to pour every ounce of my being into this work. I'm going to do my best to be your governor and right now to be a good husband and father to my family who are obviously traumatized by what occurred here last night.
We are grateful to law enforcement for helping ease some of that trauma thanks to their outstanding work. They were here within seconds, and they did an extraordinary job. Local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. I now want to bring up the colonel of the Pennsylvania State Police to give you some specifics on the investigation, followed by our District Attorney Fran Chardo, and then we'll do our best to take a few questions.
CHRISTOPHER PARIS, COMMISSIONER, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: Thank you, Governor. I'd like to begin by saying on behalf of not only the Pennsylvania State Police, but all of our partners, federal, to municipal, that our hearts and prayers are with you and your family during this very trying 14 plus hours. I'd like to start off by preemptively offering that this is still very much very early in a very active and dynamic investigation. And I can tell you that we're pursuing any and all leads.
We have processed the crime scene and released it just recently. You will see imminently how large and complex of a scene that it is. Physical evidence has been gathered and is in the process of being forensically analyzed both at the state police crime laboratories and also the Cumberland County crime laboratory, and I'd like to mention them specifically. As, the governor stated, the work done by Harrisburg Fire Department was absolutely instrumental in preventing any loss of life last evening.
To acknowledge again, the Harrisburg police and the major case team that the state police was able to put together. So to pause for a moment, that was comprised of and remains comprised of the Harrisburg police department, the Capitol Police, our partners from the FBI. I received multiple calls from the FBI SAC of Philadelphia who happens to be out of country, and yet he took the time to call as well as his assistant special agents in charge who are not only here with us, but we've spoken to throughout this incident.
I received a call personally from the attorney general with an offer of any and all support. Received a call personally from the U.S. attorney acting for the Middle District Of Pennsylvania, John Gurganus, offering any and all support of the U.S. Attorney's Office. And as the governor said, who you will hear from shortly, the Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo.
So I can confirm at this point as we put out already, we are conducting an arson investigation and we are conducting an attempted homicide and aggravated arson investigation. That is the paradigm that we've operated in. A lot of the investigative tasks have focused on the who up until this point. Obviously, we're trying to piece together very early on the exact sequence of events. We were late in coming out here because we were getting rapid information as it was occurring, and I'm pleased to announce that we do have an individual in custody.
His name is Cody Balmer, B-A-L-M-E-R, age 38 with the Harrisburg post office address. In terms of the sequence of events, because of the thrust of the investigation concentrating on the who, I want to be very deliberate in my comments as to the how and exactly the time frame. What I do feel confident in saying at this point is that we don't anticipate any charges for conspiracy. But again, I'd reiterate my qualifier that I mentioned earlier that we are still very much inside the first 24 hours. But at this point, we do not anticipate that.
[17:19:57] Likewise, the quick action of the members of the governor's detail, not only his immediate family, but some extended family members who were here. You will see from the physical plant behind me how grave the situation was. And when this occurred, I will tell you again the exact sequence of events. We will conduct a full review, but I feel very confident in telling you that it occurred over an extremely brief period of time, several minutes. And the quick action of those troopers last night immediately shifted to the safety of the governor and his family and his extended family.
So, we will certainly take a look and have a full competent and thorough investigation, but our hats are off to the quick action of all the first responders, not just within the state police, but as the governor said, Harrisburg Fire Department who was instrumental in getting here quickly and getting the fire knocked down. We have kept tabs on the governor all day and will continue to do so. And at this point, I'd like to turn it over to District Attorney Fran Chardo. Thank you.
FRAN CHARDO, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DAUPHIN COUNTY, PENNSYLVANNIA: We have, as, the colonel indicated, Cody Balmer is in custody. We are preparing a criminal complaint to charge him. This is not of record yet, but the charges will include, attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person. These are all very serious charges. As with any, charges, the defendant is presumed innocent. We will file those charges, within the next, several hours, and we will include a probable cause affidavit, which will detail, the basis for this arrest.
I can't give you a lot of details because it won't be of record. I can only give you the charges, but the, criminal complaint and the affidavit will detail that further this very day. I want to commend, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Capitol Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the other agencies that conducted this investigation. I was here this afternoon and witnessed the remarkable efforts. They did a great job in bringing this to a swift conclusion.
And I'll tell you that they do this in every case that I work with them on, not just cases involving the governor. In every case, we are blessed to have great law enforcement agencies that work diligently in cases involving serious violence. As I say, we're going to file that criminal complaint shortly and you will have -- that complaint will speak for itself along with a -- there'll be a booking photograph that will be available later today, but we don't have that yet available and we're glad to take any questions you might have.
UNKNOWN: Might I ask, when you're hearing those charges though, knowing that someone tried to the very least seriously injure or kill you and your family or you, you know, you know, reflecting today on that and just can you talk about your emotions there?
SHAPIRO: Honestly, I just right now, I want to be a good father and a good husband and take care of my family. Thank you.
UNKNOWN: District attorney, is there anything you can tell us right now about how Mr. Balmer accessed the property and how he left the property?
CHARDO: Well, it's going to speak for itself. I mean, he entered it surreptitiously and he -- not far from here, he came over a fence, I will tell you that. And he was able to -- and he act very surreptitiously. And then he forcibly entered, and then he set the fire.
UNKNOWN: Do you know if he's going to face federal charges?
CHARDO: Well, so we have the FBI involved. There'll be a review of that by the U.S. Attorney. A decision will be made. He may face both. They're separate sovereigns and we're going to pursue -- make a decision on that. It may be both, but we always look at to determine where we can get the best justice.
UNKNOWN: What did Ballmer say about his reasoning? I mean, you guys have -- he's in custody. What does he say?
CHARDO: So, I think that we'll let the probable cause affidavit speak for that, for itself.
UNKNOWN: Mr. Governor, do you think that this could have been a hate crime or politically motivated?
SHAPIRO: I think that's a question for the federal government or for the district attorney. It's not something I'm prepared to answer.
UNKNOQWN: Yeah. Breaking the fence over there, the patch up, is that where he came in, and was the fence damaged because of him?
PARIS: Yes. I will -- I'll turn it over to Lieutenant Colonel Bivens (ph) at this point. That was the point of ingress. And as I said, we will be conducting a multifaceted review in terms of security measures and the exact timeline of how it happened. But I do feel very confident in saying that certain steps of due diligence were taken by our people.
[17:25:04]
And, you know, we are in their debt for getting the governor and his family immediate and extended out of the house. When you see the physical plant behind me, it will be readily apparent how grave the situation was.
UNKNOWN: How did this happen?
PARIS: One second. I'll turn it over to Lieutenant Colonel Bivens. Stand by.
GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: M Excuse me. So this individual came over a fence and right behind where all of you are standing right now. He actively evaded, troopers who were here to secure the residence even while they were searching for him on the property. While they were searching is when he attacked at the residence, broke in, and set the fires. So that was all playing out over a period of several minutes. It was a very quick event that occurred, and again, troopers were actively searching for him at the time.
UNKNOWN: What did he use to set the fire?
BIVENS: He had some homemade incendiary devices.
UNKNOWN: Molotov cocktail.
BIVENS: I'm not going to provide a lot more detail on that right now. A lot of material has been collected and is being analyzed, but I think, you know, homemade device, describes it for right now.
UNKNOWN: So, (inaudible) he's on the property before the started fire?
BIVENS: We knew that there had been a breach on the property and we were searching to determine what the -- what had occurred, why there was a breach.
UNKNOWN: Will there be an increased security presence around the Governor's Mansion, and will the FBI remain on-site?
BIVENS: Yeah.
UNKNOWN: Talk a little bit about what's going (inaudible) that ongoing.
BIVENS: So there will -- there is already a security review underway to determine how we can ensure that we don't have a repeat of a situation like this. You know, we look at all aspects, personnel, technical, surveillance equipment, security equipment. All of that will be, reviewed, and we will do our best to ensure that the governor and his family are safe in this residence.
UNKNOWN: Did he make it into the residence itself, or was this something thrown through the window?
BIVENS: He did make it into the residence.
UNKNOWN: And then how did he get off the property, and where was he apprehended?
BIVENS: He exited the property the same way he came on, back over the fence. He was apprehended, in the Harrisburg area, a short time ago.
UNKNOWN: Governor, you talked about resilience, especially in light of Passover, and you feel like being able to come back and say we are not going to stop --
SHAPIRO: Yeah.
UNKNOWN: -- celebrating this, especially in light -- motivation, whatever it was that happened here. You think it's important to show not just Pennsylvania, but the whole country you're not going to be fearful?
SHAPIRO: I'm not fearful. I'm obviously emotional. I'm worried about my family. I want my kids to be okay. When we were in the State Dining Room last night gathered with the community and family and friends, we told the story of Passover, and it's a story of going from bondage from slavery into freedom. I think it's an important story both literally and figuratively to tell, and 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, stop me from being a leader of this commonwealth and looking out for all Pennsylvanians. I will not be deterred in my work, and I will not be afraid to do that work.
UNKNOWN: Governor, who was in the house at the time and, how is your family feeling right now?
SHAPIRO: I'm not going to get into my family and who was in the house. I will tell you that, obviously, you know, when you get woken up at 02:00 in the morning with a banging on the door from brave Pennsylvania State Police telling you have to immediately evacuate, that's jarring, especially for children. They're doing okay now. They're all together.
And as I said, shortly here, we're going to celebrate our second Seder together. We're going to have more family time. And I trust that, Lori and I will make sure our kids get through this well and listen to them, be there for their emotional needs, be there for their mental health support, our mental health support, and making sure that everybody is able to get through this and continue on with our lives.
Me doing the important work I'm doing, my wife, our first lady doing the important work they're doing, and our kids being normal kids doing what they do.
UNKNOWN: Governor, was there any question from a security standpoint? Any discussion --
SHAPIRO: I'm sorry. I just didn't hear the beginning of your question.
UNKNOWN: Governor, any question from a security standpoint, any discussions about having you come back to the scene so soon? And was this something you wanted to do?
SHAPIRO: I'm not going to get into my security. I have total confidence in the Pennsylvania State Police to keep us safe.
[17:29:58]
UNKNOWN (voice-over): As far as the suspect in custody goes, what -- where are we at right now in terms of warrants for the residents or speaking to family members associated with the suspect? How is that going to play out now that all the federal agencies are involved in -- along with the state?
So, there are currently searches underway, some with consent, warrants where necessary. That will play out through the remainder of the evening, no doubt, and beyond if necessary. All of that information and evidence will be collected and -- and worked through the district attorney's office.
A decision at some point in the future, as the D.A. said, will be made whether there is anything that rises to the level of a separate federal prosecution. But for right now, we're operating all under state, rules of evidence and -- and procedures and -- and collecting what we need for the state charges.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): We have time for a couple more questions here.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Does the suspect seem, like, he knew the layout of the mansion area and, like, where he planted the homemade devices and was it intentional?
UNKNOWN: I -- I don't know that we can yet fully characterize how much he knew. That's all part of the ongoing investigation. In terms of the layout, I will tell you that he clearly had a plan. He was very methodical in his approach and moved through it without a lot of hurry, again, in a very methodical planned manner and -- and carried it out, although in a very short period of time. When I said that he was in the residence, he was inside for less -- less than a minute. It all happened very quickly, and -- and he was backed out.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): How long was you on the property before that?
UNKNOWN: That's all part of the investigation. We do have an idea because we know, when we were alerted to the breach. It was a number of minutes but, again, all of that is part of the ongoing review as to where he was and how that time was spent on the property.
SHAPIRO: Let me just say one last thing, and we're going to wrap this up. Lori and I and the kids just feel so honored to have the privilege the good people of Pennsylvania have given us to be able to live in this house. This house functions as a welcoming place for -- for Pennsylvanians to come and -- and to learn and to celebrate and to be together.
And that is a direct result of the extraordinary work that the staff does here at the governor's residence led by Claire Ramsay. I want to just say, they are traumatized by this as well. Lori and I spoke to them earlier today to let them know that they're part of our family as we are theirs. Many of them have been here through multiple administrations, some as long as two decades, and we want them to know how much they are appreciated.
If you've ever come here on a tour or you've been privileged to be here for an event, it's a wonderful member of the governor's residence staff who greets you, cares for you, who feeds you, and who makes sure that you enjoy your visit. And I just want to say a special thanks to them. They're going through a lot right now. They know that Lori and I have their backs, and it's going to take some time for them to work through this as well.
But I told them, we'll clean this up, we'll get it repaired, we'll get it rebuilt, we'll get rid of that smell of fire and smoke, and we'll be back very soon, and we'll be back to welcome the community into this residence with the smiles and the warmth of the people that make up this staff.
So, I want to thank all of you for -- for -- for your sensitivity here. For those who are celebrating Passover, I wish you a happy Passover. I know some are observing Palm Sunday and getting ready for Easter. I want to wish you the very best as well. I want to thank you for -- for being here this afternoon.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Thank you, guys.
DEAN: All right, you are watching Governor Josh Shapiro with members of Pennsylvania law enforcement and the Dauphin County district attorney.
Here's what we learned. A lot of information coming out of that press conference. Here's what we know. There is a 38-year-old man named Cody Balmer who is in custody. Authorities say they are planning to file charges against him in the next several hours. Those charges are going to include attempted murder. They're also going to include arson charges.
We know that this man, according to authorities, was allegedly inside the governor's residence that you are looking at right now seeing how damaging this fire was, that he was inside the governor's residence, they say, for about a minute.
Governor Shapiro had celebrated Passover with his family. He has four children with his wife, Lori. They had their extended family there, so you can think about having a holiday with your family, having everyone sleep over, a big meal, going to sleep. They were woken up, we were told, at about 2 a.m., and they had to be taken out of the home.
[17:35:01]
But -- but the way that the state police spokesperson was explaining this, as a grave situation, that this was a very, very serious fire that caused a lot of damage and it happened very quickly. They did give us a little bit of detail about what they knew about how this -- this person in custody, Cody Balmer.
He came over the fence, they said. They said there were homemade devices that accelerated this fire. They didn't want to elaborate on exactly what that would be, that this all unfolded over several minutes, that he did make it into the residence. He then exited over the fence again and then was apprehended, they said, just a short time ago.
Again, we're expecting more information when they file a lot of those charges. There will be legal paperwork that will explain more detail.
Governor Shapiro saying that he did hear or they did -- they did say that they have heard from Kash Patel, who is the head of the FBI. He described him as a kind -- it was a kind and courteous call and that Kash Patel promised all the resources that they were going to need to get through this.
But from a human level, you saw a very emotional Governor Josh Shapiro there whose family was under attack in the middle of the night during a Jewish holiday. We don't know the motive at this moment, but they certainly left it open to find out more about what caused this person in custody to -- to -- why they think he may have done what he did.
I do want to bring back in Danny Freeman who's in Philadelphia, who has been following this story for us today, and then Andy McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI.
Andy, I want to start first with you. We did get a fair amount of information, chief among it, that they have this individual in custody. But first, just what stuck out to you in what was a very, very scary and -- and potentially deadly situation.
MCCABE: Sure. So, I -- really, for me, the -- the biggest thing we learned were the details about how serious this massive breach of security was and how close this person came to really inflicting mortal harm on the governor's family and the other guests in the house.
So, let's think about this, Jessica. You have an attacker who goes over the fence while armed with homemade incendiary devices. He traverses the property, and while doing so, evades the search. They knew he'd gotten over the fence, and yet he was able to evade their search. He gets up to the residence and is able to break into and enter the residence, deploy the incendiary devices, get back outside, cross the property again, go over the fence and leave, all untouched by law enforcement.
So, there -- there has got -- I -- I know they said there will be a review. I'm sure there will be one that will include really shaking down what the security system looks like, what the security plan looks like for the governor and his family and the residents because any one of those steps should really never have happened. Anybody who goes over the fence -- look, this happens, you know, happens at the White House. Sometimes, people climb over the fence.
DEAN: Right.
MCCABE: It causes you to think about that fence and how high it is and how it's designed. Once you get inside the fence, it's really a matter of seconds before you should be picked up and intercepted by law enforcement. Like, to get to the residence and then into the residence, just really a shocking breach of security and one that could have very easily led to the loss of life.
DEAN: It is -- it is so frightening. And -- and to your point, we're going to have to learn more about how this was able to happen. I know the governor said he had total confidence in the Pennsylvania State Police to keep him and his family safe. But there are a lot of questions about how this was allowed to happen without -- with -- with him evading law enforcement.
Danny, I -- I want to talk to you just about the governor himself and what his message was. He was clearly and understandably, frankly, quite shaken by all of this. And -- and he said -- he said this type of violence is not okay. It's far too common. We have to be better than this. And then he said no one will deter me or my family from celebrating my faith or their faith, anyone's faith, openly and -- and proudly here in this nation and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
FREEMAN: Yeah, Jessica, I have been covering Governor Shapiro certainly throughout the duration of his governorship and -- and other points of his public service in Pennsylvania. This was perhaps the most visibly shaken that I've seen and were certainly impacted by what happened overnight.
You noted it right off the bat that he said that he and his wife, Lori, the first lady of Pennsylvania, were overwhelmed by the amount of support and messages that they got from all over the country after this happened. And you also noted that he said emphatically that this type of violence is just not okay.
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No matter what side of the aisle you may be coming from, just violence is not okay in general. Certainly, political violence is not okay. And, again, he said that while it's clear this was targeted, you heard the Pennsylvania State Police saying this was methodical in nature, he said the motive almost doesn't matter. It's not okay that this type of violence should be happening like this in any part of our country.
The other thing, too, Jessica, that I'll note is, you know, we talk about Governor Shapiro and his faith, and it's something that he has had to talk about quite a lot, it seems like, more than other governors perhaps or other public figures in the public spotlight in part because his Jewish faith is very important to him and key to his identity.
But I thought it was just so moving and poignant that he said that the area that was ultimately burned was the area that he and his family and his guests had this Seder last night to begin the first night of Passover.
And again, I just found it so important that he came out and said that, I will continue to celebrate the second night of Passover with a Seder tonight to demonstrate to all Americans that you should not be afraid to practice your faith in this country.
And again, just connecting those two particular details, I don't think you can detangle them in this particular case just because of the timing of this incident. You can see clearly that Governor Shapiro was impacted by the timing of this fire himself as well in addition to, of course, just it would be terrifying for any governor and their family to face arson at their home.
DEAN: Absolutely. And -- and Andy, as we're looking at the video, again, you -- you said it, too, just how shocking how close this person allegedly got to them, just how much damage. This wasn't some small fly fire, you know, on the outskirts of the perimeter or near the perimeter. This was in this -- in this residence, where they were sleeping, obviously where they live, and there are so many questions around this. Obviously, we're going to get these -- these charges are going be filed, they said, in the next several hours. What more do you think we're going to learn when it does come to -- you know, I think everyone, when something crazy like this happens, they say, why -- why did -- why would someone do this? What more do you think we might learn about this person's motivation?
MCCABE: That's a really good question. And I think there was a little bit of a kind of a coded message here in the -- in some of the responses they had to this question.
DEAN: Yeah.
MCCABE: When they were asked essentially whether or not he was cooperating, they said, well, the affidavit will speak for itself. So, my -- my suspicion is that when we see the complaint and the affidavit, we are going to learn that the person in custody likely made some inculpatory statements once he was taken into custody. So that would certainly help the case.
And then finally, what you heard about was the plans for a state prosecution, which is entirely appropriate. But the questions about what will the feds do, also a good question. And it raises this issue of the fact that still to this day in the United States, domestic terrorism is defined in federal criminal law, but there is no punishment for it. It is not a crime, which is a travesty, in my opinion, as to where we are on this very important issue.
So, certainly, the state has a lot to work with here, and I'm sure their prosecution will be quite robust. But it'll be interesting to see how the feds react to this and whether or not they decide to mount their own prosecution, which they would be in their right to do, but it would not include a terrorism charge in the way that you were seeing one at the state level.
DEAN: Yeah. That's such an interesting point. And I can't help but think it was also in Pennsylvania, in Butler, Pennsylvania where President Trump -- that first assassination attempt happened. Obviously, this is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. But that's a tremendous amount of political violence in -- in one state. And -- and it is something that, you know, we heard from so many officials in the last year.
Chris Wray, the former director of the FBI, saying, you know, the -- the lights are flashing. We're really concerned about domestic terrorism. And -- and now, you know, look, we're seeing this -- this other incident in Pennsylvania, not -- not one year after the current president. There was an attempt on his life in that state.
MCCABE: No question. This is a very serious national issue. It has been for some time. We've heard those warnings from people in positions who know. It does raise some questions, though, as to why at this very crucial time, we have terrorism resources, particularly at the FBI and on the joint terrorism task forces around the country, are being diverted to do things like help HSI conduct immigration roundups. We also know that the FBI director, Kash Patel, has recently moved resources out of the domestic terrorism operation section at headquarters, FBI headquarters, which is the main focal point that coordinates all of these investigations.
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It's a -- it's a -- it's a tough time to be taking resources away from the domestic terrorism issue.
DEAN: All right. We're going to continue to follow this. Again, if you're just tuning in, we do know there is a person in custody to face attempted murder and arson charges against Governor Josh Shapiro and his -- his family and his extended family. We are getting more information.
Danny and Andrew McCabe, thank you so much for being here with us to -- to help us break some of that down. We're going to keep an eye on this. We are expecting more information throughout the night. We'll, of course, bring it to you when we get it. We'll be right back.
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DEAN: Russian missiles struck Ukrainians going to church for Palm Sunday services in the city of Sumy today, killing 34 people and wounding more than a hundred others in the deadliest attack in the Ukraine -- in the Ukraine war this year.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for a strong response from the world, saying Russia needs to be treated -- quote -- "as a terrorist deserves."
Joining us now to talk more about all of this, Brett McGurk. He's a CNN global affairs analyst and a former Middle East and North Africa coordinator for the National Security Council. Brett, thanks so much for being here with us. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says Russia wants this kind of terror and is purposely trying to drag out this war. I just want to get your response to that and -- and just to these attacks themselves.
BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST, FORMER MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA COORDINATOR FOR NSC: Jessica, it's great to be here. Just horrific images. This comes the day after president Trump yesterday said it is time to put up or shut up on whether or not we're going to get to a ceasefire.
And just to kind of put everyone in perspective and all your viewers, it was a month ago that Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in Saudi Arabia with senior U.S. officials, Secretary of State Rubio and the national security adviser. And the readout of that meeting said it is now up to Russian reciprocity as the key to peace. That was over a month ago and Russia has shown no indication of wanting to get to a ceasefire.
You know, I'm reminded of something that a very famous 20th century European diplomat, Otto von Bismarck, said. He said diplomacy without leverage is like music without instruments. And that is kind of what we're seeing here. It is time to build up some leverage against the Russians to try to get this ceasefire in place.
DEAN: And what might that look like? What could that leverage look like?
MCGURK: Well, President Trump himself about two weeks ago said, was his quote, he's pissed off at Putin about the way this is going. He threatened significant sanctions on Russian banks, and he threatened secondary sanctions on purchasers of Russian oil. That would primarily be India and China.
Those are significant moves. I think we have to think about whether it's signed to do that. I think it probably is. There's a bill in the Senate with about 55 cosponsors calling for just that. So that's just a couple of things that can be done.
The Europeans are holding on to about $300 billion of Russian assets. There have been discussions in E.U. about seizing some of those assets for the benefit of Ukraine. And there's a called coalition of the willing of about 30 countries -- unfortunately, the U.S. is not a part of these talks -- about a peacekeeping force in Ukraine to sustain a peace if we can get to a ceasefire.
So, there are a lot of kind of pieces here that you can put in the puzzle. But without leverage on the Russians, this -- you're going to keep seeing the images like you are seeing now on the screen.
DEAN: Yeah. That was -- that was my follow-up question to you, which is, if there's no consequence for Russia for what we're seeing on the screen right now, it would seem to me they'll just keep doing whatever they think they can get away with.
MCGURK: Well, yeah, the president yesterday said put up or shut up, and then you have the answer, ballistic missiles killing about 30 civilians on Palm Sunday in Ukraine, innocent people. That's outrageous. You know, oftentimes in foreign policy and diplomacy, there'll be an incident that shifts things. And hopefully, this can be it.
You know, Steve Witkoff, who's a very capable guy, was also in Oman yesterday talking to the Iranians. With the Iranians, we are actually applying coercive diplomacy. We have a significant military force deployed to the Middle East. President Trump has made very clear if diplomacy fails, he's willing to use military force. We have maximum sanctions on Iran. That's a very different approach than what seems to be taking place here in Russia, Ukraine.
But the bottom line, Ukraine has accepted a ceasefire at President Trump's request. Thirty days later, the Russians have kind of been rope a doping this, and now we have these 30 people killed just on Palm Sunday. It's awful, but there's still diplomacy going on. And it's time, I think, to put some leverage on the table against the Russians.
DEAN: I do also want to ask you about China as well and -- and the -- and the tariffs situation between the U.S. and China right now. There -- we heard from the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer this morning. I want to hear -- listen to what he said, then I want to ask what you think on the other side.
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AMB. JAMIESON GREER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: Right now, we don't have any plans on that. This issue is truly at the leaders' level. Before April 2nd, I had a conversation with my counterpart, and -- and others did. Since April 2nd, we have this at the leaders' level. And at some point, as President Trump has pointed out, we expect that we'll be able to have a conversation with them.
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DEAN: And he was asked about the possibility or any plans for Trump and Xi to -- to speak to one another.
[17:55:00]
How do you see this resolving itself when it's -- it appears like each side is waiting for the other to blink more or less?
MCGURK: Yeah. There's no strategy here from the White House at all. They're clearly making this up as they go along. Even over the course of the weekend, you had contradictory statements from different U.S. Officials. This is a disaster for the global economy. And this has to be fixed.
That statement there, I just think it shows an element of just complete unreality. Yeah, Xi and Trump have to talk. President Xi is not going to call President Trump. That will not happen. It looks like Trump will not call Xi. So, maybe you can have back -- you know, back channel talks between the two sides. That's not happening. You might not have a mediator here.
You know, President Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia next month. Maybe the crown prince of Saudi Arabia might play that role. I don't know. But right now, the Russians -- I'm sorry, the Chinese have just doubled down on their tariffs against us, there appears to be no process for any sort of de-escalation, and I think the markets will speak to that when they open tomorrow morning.
DEAN: All right. Brett McGurk, thank you very much. Really appreciate your time.
MCGURK: Thank you, Jessica.
DEAN: And we have breaking news as a suspect facing attempted murder charges after a fire at the Pennsylvania Governor's Mansion while Governor Shapiro and his family were asleep inside. What we're learning about this attack, that's just ahead.
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