Pennsylvania Senate Republicans have requested records, recordings and receipts in relation to Governor Josh Shapiro’s private flights and security improvements to his personal home.
In Harrisburg Tuesday, a GOP led senate subcommittee authorized 3 subpoenas to get information from vendors, a private jet company and state police body cameras.
READ SUBPOENAS HERE: Upgrades to Governor’s residence | Governor’s flights | Body Cam video
Democrats fought against the measure Tuesday, saying it could be an invasion of privacy.
“This smells of a witch hunt, it smells of a witch hunt trying to find something that is not there,” Democrat Senator Vincent Hughes said.
The subcommittee, led by Republican Jarret Coleman, has been pushing for information about taxpayer funded flights the Governor has taken and more recently the spending at his personal residence.
The security upgrades to the Governor’s home happened in light of the attack at the Governor’s mansion April 13.
Gov. Shapiro and his family were sleeping in the official residence when a man broke in and set the home on fire.
On October 24, Senate and House Republicans were informed that $1 million was being spent on the Governor’s personal home in Montgomery County after a private security assessment.
Coleman said they are seeking the assessment documents, the recommendations and the invoices.
Pennsylvania State Police said it has already supplied the requested documents and invoices. A PSP spokesperson said in a statement:
“In April, a man tried to kill the Governor and burn down the Governor’s Residence while the Governor’s family slept inside. In response, the Pennsylvania State Police conducted thorough security assessments and recommended security improvements to keep the Governor and his family safe amid rising political violence. PSP has made hundreds of pages of documents available to Senator Coleman – including documents that directly respond to his latest inquiries. PSP’s top priority is keeping those it is assigned to protect safe, and all of the security improvements made since the arson attack in Harrisburg have been made to keep the Governor and his family safe.”
Democrats say they’re concerned about an invasion of privacy and putting the Governor and his neighbors in harms way. They say it’s not their job to investigate and that should be left to the Attorney General or Auditor General.
Coleman acknowledges the unique position the Governor and his family are in, but he says, “I hear constituents on both sides split on taxpayer money. We want to ensure our laws are keeping up or if new laws need to be legislated.”