Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his first budget address to a joint session of the state House and Senate on March 7, 2023 (Credit: Amanda Mustard for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star).
Committee Chair Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-Lehigh & Bucks) chronicled requests sent to the Shapiro administration dating back to August
Three public and private entities will receive subpoenas from a state Senate committee in the coming days after Republicans voted Tuesday to authorize a probe into taxpayer-funded security upgrades at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 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 doesn’t have the authority to subpoena and questioning its “legislative purpose.”
Committee Chair Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-Lehigh & Bucks) chronicled requests sent to the Shapiro administration dating back to August, saying he’d only received partial answers related to the administration’s spending.
“No one disputes that the governor should have reasonable and appropriate protection, or that the governor should have access to transportation for reasonable and appropriate travel associated with his role,” said Coleman. “But no administration, Republican or Democrat, should be allowed to operate in the shadows and refuse to provide basic details about their decisions when millions of taxpayer dollars are being involved and precedent is being set.”
SpotlightPA reported nearly $1.1 million was allocated to Shapiro’s private residence in Abington Township outside of Philadelphia for updates following an arson attack on the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg while Shapiro and his family slept inside.
Two of Tuesday’s subpoenas relate to the Abington home. The first, to the Pennsylvania State Police, requests a copy of a May security assessment, along with communications related to construction and security work at both the private home and a neighboring property. It also directs the agency to hand over body camera footage from officers who visited either Shapiro property between Sept. 20 and Nov. 19 of this year.
The second subpoena request to Abington Township seeks permits and zoning hearing transcripts related to the property as well as communication records. The third dives into charter flights.
All three are due to the committee by noon on Jan. 16.
Background details
In February, during a State Police budget hearing, agency leadership confirmed that Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis had used their aircraft in addition to the plane traditionally used by governors that is operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. But while the latter is required to post flight logs, state police don’t have the same obligation — though both are funded by taxpayers.
Coleman’s subpoena focuses on a separate category of chartered flights taken by state officials with Let’s Go Air, Inc. when state police planes needed maintenance. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette details January flights taken across the state and obtained through a records request, which doesn’t include the passenger lists sought by Coleman, who is an airline pilot.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, Coleman told reporters that the administration had provided “conflictory” records in regards to flight manifests, saying that “passengers were changing after the fact.”
“We’re really not confident they can provide the information accurately to us. We’re just going to the source,” he said.
Tuesday’s subpoena, directed to Let’s Go Air CEO Michael Hartle, also seeks passenger screening confirmations for those January flights, alongside 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 he said he hadn’t yet reviewed it. He said the administration similarly delivered information minutes before a previous committee to issue a subpoena, prompting Coleman to delay that vote — an action he said wouldn’t happen again despite the last-minute communication.
“We’re not playing games anymore. Taxpayers deserve an answer,” Coleman said.
In a statement about all three subpoenas, Shapiro spokesperson Will Simons criticized Coleman’s actions, emphasizing that the home upgrades were recommended for the governor’s safety.
“Following the assassination attempt on the governor’s life and attack on the Governor’s Residence earlier this year, the Pennsylvania State Police and independent security experts conducted thorough reviews to pinpoint security failures, review protocols, identify gaps and make concrete recommendations for improvements to the governor’s security. As a direct result of those recommendations, security improvements have been put in place to keep the governor and his family safe,” said Simons.
Simons highlighted a bipartisan event Shapiro will cohost Tuesday night with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on faith and political violence.
“The Shapiro administration has repeatedly responded to lawmakers’ inquiries on this matter and publicly released a substantial amount of information about the security improvements put in place by PSP without compromising those security protocols,” he said. “While Governor Shapiro is speaking about political violence alongside the Republican governor of Utah, Senator Coleman is once again showing clear disregard for the governor and his family’s safety – leveling partisan attacks through the press instead of working in good faith to protect the governor and future governors while carefully stewarding taxpayer dollars.”
Partisan divide
The seven GOP committee members turned back attempts from the four Democrats to table the subpoenas or recess the meeting until Coleman could review his newly received email. Each motion introduced by Minority Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) was defeated on a party-line vote.
“We believe that this committee doesn’t have jurisdiction over the subject matter that you’re seeking,” said Costa.
At times, Costa and Coleman traded barbs about the process, with Costa maintaining that Coleman “(had) not described to us the legislative work you’re trying to achieve with this.”
“You indicated that this may lead to legislation,” continued Costa. “This is disingenuous … there’s no legislative purpose in what you’re trying to do.”
Committee Vice Chair Sen. Cris Dush (R-Jefferson) painted the subpoenas as necessary in order to obtain “information that, for some reason, the governor chooses to withhold from us.”
“(We) definitely have the authority to investigate the misuse of those funds because we have to make decisions going forward as to whether or not we are going to continue to allocate funds to the executive,” said Dush. “We have to be informed in order to pass legislation.”
But Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) called subpoenas “an extreme in the investigative process,” adding that lawmakers weren’t “investigative authorities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
“This smells awfully of a witch hunt trying to find something that is not there,” said Hughes.
Committee-issued subpoenas are rare, but not a new experience for Coleman. A 2024 effort went all the way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which sided with Coleman’s subpoena and compelled committee testimony.
Shapiro is running for re-election next year and has been floated as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: [email protected].
