by Whitney Downard, The star of Pennsylvania’s capital
Three public and private entities will receive subpoenas from a state Senate committee in the coming days after Republicans voted Tuesday to authorize an investigation into taxpayer-funded safety improvements at the street. Governor Josh Shapiro private residence in Montgomery County and administrative travel on charter flights.
Democrats on the Intergovernmental Operations Committee called the move a “witch hunt” and “disingenuous,” saying the body had no authority to issue subpoenas and questioning its “legislative purpose.”
Chairman of the Committee Senator Jarrett Coleman (R-Lehigh) described requests sent to the Shapiro administration as far back as August, claiming he received only partial responses regarding the administration’s spending.
“No one disputes that the governor should have reasonable and appropriate security or that the governor should have access to transportation for reasonable and appropriate travel related to his role,” Coleman said. “But no administration, Republican or Democratic, should be able to act in the shadows and refuse to provide basic details of its decisions when millions of taxpayer dollars are at stake and a precedent is being set.”
This was reported on SpotlightPA nearly $1.1 million was allocated for Shapiro’s private residence in Abington Township outside Philadelphia for further updates arson of the Governor’s Mansion in Harrisburg while Shapiro and his family slept inside.
Two of Tuesday’s calls involve an Abington home. In the first case, the Pennsylvania State Police is requesting a copy of the May safety assessment along with correspondence related to construction and safety at both a private home and a neighboring property. It also orders the agency to turn over body camera footage from officers who visited Shapiro’s property between Sept. 20 and Nov. 19 of this year.
The second subpoena issued to Abington Township seeks permits and transcripts of zoning hearings related to the property, as well as communication records. The third one focuses on charter flights.
All three are scheduled to appear before the committee by noon on January 16.
Background details
In February, during the State Police budget hearing Agency leadership confirmed this Shapiro i Lt. Governor Austin Davis they used their plane in addition to the plane traditionally used by governors, operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. But while the latter have an obligation to publish flight logs, state police do not have the same obligation – although both are funded by taxpayers.
Coleman’s call focuses on a separate category of charter flights operated by state officials with Let’s Go Air, Inc. when state police planes needed maintenance. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January flight details transported throughout the state and obtained through a records request that did not include passenger lists sought by Coleman, who is an airline pilot.
After Tuesday’s meeting, Coleman told reporters that the administration had presented “conflicting” records regarding flight listings, stating that “passengers were changed after the fact.”
“We’re really not sure if they’re going to be able to give us accurate information. We’re just going to the source,” he said.
Tuesday’s subpoena addressed to the CEO of Let’s Go Air Michael Hartleis also seeking confirmation of passenger screening for January flights, as well as booking records and communications between the company and state leaders.
Shortly before the meeting, Coleman said his team received an email from state police but said he had not yet reviewed it. He said the administration had similarly provided information minutes earlier previous committee issue a subpoena, prompting Coleman to delay the vote, which he said would not happen again despite the last-minute announcement.
“We’re not playing games anymore. Taxpayers deserve an answer,” Coleman said.
In a statement regarding all three calls, a Shapiro spokesman said Will Simons criticized Coleman’s actions, emphasizing that the home upgrades were recommended for the governor’s safety.
“Following the attempt on the Governor’s life and the attack on the Governor’s Mansion earlier this year, the Pennsylvania State Police and independent security experts conducted thorough reviews to highlight security breaches, review protocols, identify gaps and make specific recommendations to improve the Governor’s security. As a direct result of these recommendations, security improvements were made to ensure the safety of the Governor and his family,” Simons said.
Simons emphasized bipartisan event Shapiro will co-host Tuesday night’s show with Utah Governor Spencer Cox about faith and political violence.
“The Shapiro administration has repeatedly responded to lawmakers’ inquiries on this matter and has publicly released a significant amount of information about the safety improvements PSP has made without violating safety protocols,” he said. “While Governor Shapiro joins Utah’s Republican Governor to discuss political violence, Senator Coleman once again demonstrates clear disregard for the Governor and his family’s safety by orchestrating partisan attacks through the press rather than acting in good faith to protect the Governor and future governors while carefully stewarding taxpayer dollars.”
Partisan division
The seven GOP committee members rejected attempts by four Democrats to file subpoenas or suspend the meeting until Coleman could review the newly received email. Any motion submitted by the Minority Leader Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) was defeated on a party-line vote.
“We believe this committee has no jurisdiction over the topic you are seeking,” Costa said.
At times, Costa and Coleman exchanged comments about the process, with Costa maintaining that Coleman “(failed) to describe to us the legislative work you are trying to achieve by this.”
“You indicated that this could lead to legislation,” Costa continued. “It’s disingenuous… what you’re trying to do has no legal purpose.”
Vice-President of the Commission Senator Chris Dush (R-Jefferson) characterized the subpoenas as necessary to obtain “information that, for some reason, the governor chooses to withhold from us.”
“(We) definitely have the authority to investigate the misuse of these funds because we need to make decisions in the future whether we will continue to allocate funds to management,” Dush said. “In order to pass a law, we need to be informed.”
But Senator Vincent Hughes (Philadelphia) called subpoenas “an extreme phenomenon in the investigative process,” adding that lawmakers are not “Pennsylvania’s investigative agencies.”
“It smacks terribly of a witch hunt, trying to find something that isn’t there,” Hughes said.
Subpoenas issued by the commission are infrequent, but This isn’t a fresh experience for Coleman. In 2024, the request reached all the way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which granted Coleman’s subpoena and forced the commission to testify.
Shapiro will run for re-election next year and has been floated as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate.
