PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has been impeached by the Pennsylvania House in a 107-85 vote along party lines. A trial will be held in the state Senate at a later date.
The Republican-controlled state House Judiciary Committee launched the effort in June, accusing Krasner of “despicable behavior” and blaming him for the rise in crime and the city’s ongoing gun violence crisis. The committee passed articles of impeachment against Krasner 14-8 in its final meeting of this session on Tuesday, sending the articles to the House floor for a vote.
The articles were introduced by Philadelphia Republican Martina White, who said on Tuesday, “Mr. Krasner has proven himself derelict in his duties as the district attorney of Philadelphia, inappropriately using prosecutorial discretion to act against the public’s interest.”
“In his haste to radically reinvent the role of district attorney into something far different than what was empowered by the legislature, Mr. Krasner has usurped our authority by not prosecuting certain crimes this body has specifically directed those in his position to pursue,” she added.
House Republicans adopted an amendment expanding on the allegations and adding five articles of impeachment, which in part accuse Krasner of withholding information from victims, misleading courts and juries, and a failure to enforce laws.
Democrats tried unsuccessfully to adjourn until the end of the month, when this current session officially ends. That was easily beaten back by Republicans.
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An impeachment trial will be held in the state Senate. It’s not clear exactly when that would happen, as Wednesday is the last scheduled day of session for both chambers. Senators are being told the trial could start as early as Friday, but there is no official decision on that yet.
A conviction in the Senate would require a two-thirds majority, or 34 votes. There are currently 28 Republicans and 21 Democrats in the Senate and one independent, who caucuses with Republicans. If the trial takes place next session, Republicans will still hold the majority 28 to 22.
Democrats have called efforts to impeach Krasner “political brinksmanship,” accusing Republicans of weaponizing the state Constitution for partisan political purposes.
Krasner’s office on Tuesday released a statement refuting Republicans' claims, and accusing them of “spending their final days in a lame-duck majority fighting a lost cause.”
"In the hundreds of years the Commonwealth has existed, this is the only time the House has used the drastic remedy of impeachment of an elected official because they do not like their ideas," Krasner wrote in a statement released after the impeachment vote. "Those ideas are precisely why Philadelphia voters elected and re-elected me to serve as the Philly D.A. — in two landslides."
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Krasner insisted his office is doing more for victims and survivors, and making significant investments in violence prevention, and he accused "elected officials who do not live or vote in Philadelphia" of willfully avoiding the facts about his tenure, saying they have not presented any evidence that connects his policies to an uptick in crime.
"History will harshly judge this anti-democratic authoritarian effort to erase Philly's votes — votes by Black, brown, and broke people in Philadelphia. And voters will have the last word."
Delaware County Democrat Mike Zabel said on Tuesday that it sets a “terrible precedent that could set Pennsylvania down a very dark and dangerous path. Impeachment of a local official because a legislative majority doesn't like that official's policies? As stewards of this commonwealth, that should terrify us.”
“There is no rhyme or reason or precedent that can justify this action. In over 300 years, the House has impeached less than 10 times total, and the Senate has only convicted three of those individuals,” added Rep. Joseph Hohenstein, D-Philadelphia.
According to the Pennsylvania Constitution, any civil officer “shall be liable to impeachment for any misbehavior in office.” The Constitution says the state House holds the power to vote whether or not to impeach. Impeachment requires a simple majority in the House, where Republicans presently hold a 23-seat majority.
While threats of impeachment have been hurled in recent years, the actual process is rare in Pennsylvania. The last person to be impeached was state Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen in 1994, who was convicted of improperly discussing cases with a lawyer outside of court.