PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The race in the Democratic primary for Philadelphia’s District Attorney continues to get closer to a boiling point.
One day after a heated debate on KYW Newsradio and NBC10 that became even more personal in an off-air exchange just after their final statements, challenger Carlos Vega is suing incumbent Larry Krasner’s campaign, calling their claims of prosecutorial misconduct and corruption "shameful and maliciously false at their core."
Vega is suing Larry Krasner for DA and his PAC manager, activist Shaun King who leads the ‘Real Justice PAC,’ claiming the spread of “palpably false information they continue to feed voters."
In a statement, Vega attorney Louis Tumolo called the Krasner campaign’s statements about Vega being a corrupt prosecutor "shameful and malicious."
Krasner’s camp fired back, calling the lawsuit a "Trumpian tactic," adding that Vega is angry, a liar and a prosecutor with a "deeply troubling record."
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Two weeks ago, King posted a lengthy note on Instagram calling Vega "a monster" and "evil personified."
Read both campaigns' complete statements below. First, Vega attorney Louis Tumolo:
"The Krasner campaign cannot defend Larry Krasner’s record over the last four years. In recent weeks DA Krasner has become increasingly uncomfortable as Philadelphians fairly question his ability to reform the criminal justice system and keep our communities safe. Instead of addressing the historic epidemic of violence, DA Krasner and his out-of-town cohorts have resorted to baseless attacks on the character of Carlos Vega. The truth is this: Larry Krasner does not care about Philadelphians; he has resorted to shameful tactics in his bid for reelection as he pursues his national political aspirations.
"For example, Shaun King, co-founder of The Real Justice PAC with DA Krasner’s campaign manager on the payroll, wrote “They (the police) know that Carlos will NEVER hold them accountable. In his 35 corrupt years in that office, he didn’t hold a single cop accountable.” This is false and Shaun King, the Krasner campaign, and The Real Justice PAC know it. Why do they ignore Mr. Vega’s successful prosecution of, for example, Officer Ryan Shiver or homicide detective Ronald Dove? Is it because those prosecutions defeat their false narrative?
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"King also claims that Mr. Vega “framed and convicted” Anthony Wright. Why does Mr. King withhold from his readers that Mr. Vega was never involved in the conviction of Anthony Wright? Even The Innocence Project has acknowledged: (1) Mr. Vega did not convict Anthony Wright at his 1993 trial; and (2) it was the decision of District Attorney Seth Williams, not Mr. Vega, in 2016 to retry Anthony Wright for murder.
"These writings are shameful and maliciously false at their core. We have filed this lawsuit to expose the truth, not hide from it. Philadelphians deserve an honest election. Larry Krasner for DA, Shaun King, and The Real Justice PAC are on notice that the palpably false information they continue to feed voters will not be tolerated."
The following is the Krasner for DA statement from Senior Advisor Jessica Brand:
"Carlos Vega is angry because people are asking questions that expose his deeply troubling record as a prosecutor. He doesn’t want to answer those questions, as we all saw at last night's debate. Vega thinks no one should criticize him or ask hard questions about his role as one of two prosecutors who tried to keep Tony Wright behind bars after the DNA evidence established with certainty Wright was innocent.
"He also thinks that he should get a free pass for committing prosecutorial misconduct – even though a Republican-majority PA Supreme Court unanimously recognized that what he did was completely egregious and called it that. Instead of giving truthful answers that he knows disqualify him from becoming a chief prosecutor, he has lied about the facts, evaded the questions, and embraced yet another Trumpian tactic by filing baseless actions in an attempt to silence critics.
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"This tactic, of abusing court processes in civil court by filing baseless lawsuits, parallels Vega’s abuse of court processes in criminal court by prosecuting Tony Wright after any reasonable person knew with certainty that Wright was innocent. It is unacceptable for any prosecutor, much less a chief prosecutor, to behave in this way. Vega’s actions offer a window on the type of District Attorney he would be -- one who is willing to accuse anyone of anything to get what he wants.
"We, and the people of Philadelphia, will never stop asking Carlos the tough questions—the ones he won’t answer truthfully---no matter how he tries to bully and intimidate all of us."