The New York Times covered Cody Balmer, the man accused of setting fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence. But they left out a key detail — Balmer is a self-proclaimed socialist.
Balmer allegedly threw incendiary devices at Shapiro’s home while the governor and his family were inside. He turned himself in Sunday and was arraigned Monday. Charges include attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and burglary.
Balmer’s Facebook reportedly features posts supporting Black Lives Matter and calling himself a “registered socialist.” But The Times focused on his criticism of Joe Biden and skipped over the left-leaning posts.
“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,” the outlet wrote. “His Facebook posts included rants about big pharma, women and the government.”
The Times also said Balmer showed “little sign of any loyalty to any party.” But they didn’t mention his praise for BLM or his own claim of being a socialist.
Some say that post was just sarcasm. “The post in which he says he’s a socialist, if you actually read it, is clearly sarcastic,” Facebook user Mary Pratt commented.
Still, other posts raise questions. One shows a Molotov cocktail with the caption, “Be the light you want to see in the world.” Prosecutors say he used a similar device in the attack.
Molotovs have been used across the political spectrum, but recently, they’ve been tied to far-left groups like Antifa.
Other media figures have left out those connections too. “Another right-wing extremist? MAGA? Hopefully he gets life in prison,” posted left-wing creator Ed Krassenstein.
President Trump condemned the act. “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.”