PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia’s highly controversial District Attorney Larry Krasner was impeached by Pennsylvania’s Republican-led House on Wednesday, further advancing their effort to remove the George Soros-backed prosecutor from office in response to the city’s violent crime trends.
Following a fiery debate, the vote in favor of tossing Krasner from office was 107-85, largely along party lines. He is accused of “misbehavior in office” and obstructing a legislative committee investigating his office, according to the articles of impeachment, Fox News Digital reported.
In a city that already had its challenges fighting violent crime, Republican lawmakers accused Krasner of exacerbating Philadelphia’s problems by implementing certain criminal justice reform policies and botching certain cases.
“His lack of proper leadership serves as a direct and proximate cause of the crisis currently facing the city of Philadelphia,” states House Resolution No. 240, which called for Krasner’s impeachment.
The matter will now go to the state Senate, which will conduct its own investigation prior to a vote. To bounce Krasner — who is frequently at odds with police — will require a two-thirds majority to pass. Republicans currently have a 29-21 majority in the state Senate, which will change to 28-22 early next year, Fox reported.
“One man that has put himself above the law and has arbitrarily decided what laws are valid,” GOP State Rep. Timothy Bonner said in describing the neglectful DA. “In Philadelphia, a prosecutor is at the center of the rule of law and protecting the law and enforcing the law in this country. A prosecutor has discretion in deciding what charges will be initially filed, but that power is not absolute, and it can be abused.”
Krasner said the impeachment is nothing more than a political stunt as a result of philosophical differences.
