PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A day after Republican lawmakers in Harrisburg announced an effort to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a progressive political action committee is calling on state legislators to defend the democratically elected DA.
The Pennsylvania Working Families Party is among groups calling on legislators to block any restrictions on the authority of the District Attorney’s Office or place term limits. Among lawmakers on board is Philadelphia-based state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.
“The Republican Party has to stop just being the party of passing bills that are about renaming bridges,” he argued. “That seems to be the only thing that we can get done in this building.”
Western Pennsylvania lawmakers announced on Monday plans to start the process of impeachment against Krasner. While they say these efforts have been in the works for some time, the lawmakers announced impeachment plans after the recent mass shooting on South Street in Philadelphia.
They argue Krasner has “willfully ignored his constitutional duties” as district attorney and “willfully ignored the people of Philadelphia.”
“We are starting this process now because the unchecked violent crime in Philadelphia has reached a breaking point due to the willful refusal by District Attorney Krasner to enforce existing laws,” said state Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington).
“If unchecked crime is keeping businesses and tourists from visiting and locating in Philadelphia, it impacts Pennsylvania as a whole,” added state Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-Washington).
Krasner won a second term last year despite a legitimate primary challenge. He ran on a platform of reform, saying he would focus on more effective approaches to reduce crime, rather than what he called the “win-at-all-costs culture” in the District Attorney’s Office.
Kenyatta doesn’t believe Krasner will be impeached. He said Republicans’ attempt is a distraction from work that has to be done. There are approximately 60 pieces of gun safety legislation that Republicans can vote on right now, but he said they are not making their way to the House floor.
“They want to talk about Larry Krasner. I want to talk about what the Republican majority has refused to do on the things that they actually should be focused on,” Kenyatta said. “They don’t have any energy or effort for that. [Impeachment] is just a sham, and it’s basically asking people to look over there instead of looking at … what they do or don’t do in this building.”
Kenyatta said the public can help get legislation moving by reaching out to the majority leader, who determines what bills go to the floor, or contacting the judiciary chair’s office to allow a discharge of some of these bills or at least permit an up-down vote in committee as a start.