At a press briefing on Wednesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) was asked about the alleged arsonist's motivations.
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00:00All right. Tom?
00:02How are you doing and your family doing since what occurred over the weekend?
00:07And what is your reaction to some court documents suggesting that the Israel-Palestine conflict
00:13might have had something to do with the motivations of the arsonist?
00:17Yeah. Well, first of all, I appreciate you asking about how we're doing.
00:23You know, it's obviously been a challenge.
00:26My focus has been on being a good dad, a good husband, and a good governor, in that order.
00:36And just trying our best to answer our kids' questions, be honest with them,
00:43tell them what we know, and also tell them what we don't know,
00:47and to let them know that they're safe and they're going to be okay.
00:52And it's okay to feel a lot of different things.
00:57And it's okay to not be okay also.
01:01So Laura and I have just tried to be good parents through this process.
01:06And we've gotten a lot of just unbelievably warm wishes from people
01:13and prayers from people of all different faiths that have really sustained us
01:20and lifted our spirits.
01:30So much of the work that I do every day,
01:36so much of the news that you all cover, sadly, is bad news, right?
01:45And yet, in these days following the bad news,
01:51what Laura and I have experienced is just an outpouring of positivity and warmth
01:57from so many people that has really filled us up and has strengthened us.
02:04And I think it has strengthened our kids as well.
02:09So we appreciate the wishes.
02:12I can tell you I've heard from every former living governor of Pennsylvania.
02:18The lorries heard from the first ladies.
02:22I've heard from dozens of governors across the country,
02:27so many lawmakers in Pennsylvania,
02:30obviously people of both parties.
02:32And just so many Pennsylvanians reaching out.
02:37And it has really strengthened us and it's lifted our spirits.
02:42As for the other part of your question,
02:45I said on Sunday,
02:48I think it may time have been in response to a question you asked,
02:51that it wasn't clear at the time what the motives were of the arsonist,
02:58but that nothing he could do would deter me from doing my job as governor.
03:06Nothing he could do would deter me from proudly and openly practicing my faith.
03:15I told you that day that I was going to be heading to our second Seder.
03:20And we did.
03:21We had a beautiful Seder together.
03:24And I continue to find strength in my faith as we go forward here.
03:29I know that there are people out there who want to ascribe their own viewpoints
03:40as to what happened here and why.
03:44I know there are people out there who want to adopt their own political viewpoints
03:50or their own worldviews to what happened and why.
03:57I choose not to participate in that.
04:02I said after the assassination attempt on the president in Butler,
04:08I said in Altoona after we captured the individual who shot and killed the U.S. health care CEO,
04:17and I said on Sunday that this kind of violence has no place in our society,
04:24regardless of what motivates it.
04:27This is not how we resolve our differences.
04:31And this is not okay.
04:33This level of violence has to end.
04:36And it has to be roundly condemned by everyone,
04:39both political parties, people from all different walks of life.
04:44It's not okay.
04:45So the prosecutors will ultimately determine what motivated this.
04:51The district attorney and the Department of Justice can comment on that further.
04:56But right now, I think what we're trying to do is find the good in society,
05:00not be deterred from our work,
05:03not be deterred from practicing our faith proudly,
05:07and to continue to move forward as parents
05:14and continue to move forward as governor and first lady.
05:17Governor's will be the good in the middle of the school district.
05:19Governor's will be the good in the middle of the school district.
05:19Governor says,
05:19Governor says,