By Robert McGreevy, Daily Caller News Foundation | April 15, 2025
The New York Times’s coverage of Cody Balmer, the man police suspect caused a fire in Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence, failed to note he’s a self-proclaimed socialist.
Balmer turned himself in to authorities Sunday after he “deployed incendiary devices” to Shapiro’s home while the governor and his family were inside, according to the complaint. He was arraigned Monday and charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and burglary, according to a criminal complaint.
While Balmer’s Facebook profile also reportedly contains posts and comments lauding the Black Lives Matter movement and claiming that he’s a “registered socialist,” The New York Times highlighted posts of his criticizing former President Joe Biden, ignoring ones recognizant of left-leaning politics.
“Mr. Balmer’s social media suggested not a particular ideology so much as a deep cynicism, in some posts espousing a libertarian bent bordering on anarchism, in others praising violence. His Facebook posts included rants about big pharma, women and the government,” the outlet wrote.
The New York Times did note Balmer exhibited “little sign of any loyalty to any party,” but omitted coverage of his posts praising BLM and admitting to socialism.
Some social media users speculated Balmer’s apparently self-admitted socialism was simply sarcasm. One such tongue-in-cheek example is a post in which Balmer claimed to have received 27 mail-in ballots.
“The post in which he says he’s a socialist, if you actually read it, is clearly sarcastic,” Facebook user “Mary Pratt” wrote in response to a post highlighting his apparent confession.
There are, however, other signs pointing towards Balmer’s apparent left-leaning radicalism, including a post touting Molotov cocktails, an incendiary device which he allegedly used to set fire to Shapiro’s home, according to the complaint. The post displayed a picture of a flaming bottle with the caption, “Be the light you want to see in the world.”
While the Molotov cocktail has been used by agitators and protesters linked to both political wings, in recent years it has become a calling card for radical leftists linked with Antifa.
Other left-leaning media figures have also excluded key context surrounding Balmer’s apparently left-linked political posts.
“The man being charged with attempted murder, and aggravated arson of Governor Shapiro is Cody Balmer. He has had anti-Biden posts on social media. Another right-wing extremist? MAGA? Hopefully he gets life in prison,” left-wing social media creator Ed Krassenstein posted on X.
President Donald Trump condemned the attack Monday. “The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody, probably just a whack job,” he said. “And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”
Robert McGreevy is a reporter at the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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