Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania voted Tuesday to advance impeachment articles against Philadelphia’s top prosecutor, who they blame for the city’s spiraling crime problem.
The vote to impeach Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner took place in the Judiciary Committee in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A floor vote to send the matter to the state Senate is expected Wednesday.
The two impeachment proposals claim that Krasner’s leadership has been a direct cause of increasing violent and property crimes and that he obstructed the House’s work by not sufficiently complying with a subpoena from the legislative committee investigating him.
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Krasner has drawn scrutiny over Philadelphia’s crime woes after getting elected on a progressive platform that many in the state GOP have said enables criminals.
He easily won re-election last year. Fox News Digital has reached out to Krasner’s office.
“His dereliction of duty and despicable behavior is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated,” said State Rep. Martina White, the resolution’s prime sponsor and the only Republican who currently represents Philadelphia in the House.
“Who oversees the district attorney in Philadelphia? We do — we are the only body who can take action to impeach the man for what he has done to our city,” White said before the committee vote.
In October, Krasner’s office released a statement defending his record.
“Criminologists know what works to prevent crime. It is not love for the NRA, opposition to reasonable gun regulations, or draconian sentences,” the statement said. “It is investment in communities, fully funded public schools, mental health and addiction treatment resources, economic opportunity, trade school and higher education opportunity, keeping parents in the community (not in jail) when they have committed non-violent, non-serious offenses, and modern police reform, among other things.”
If it passes in the House, Speaker Bryan Cutler, a Republican, will have to appoint two Republicans and one Democrat to manage the Senate trial.
A two-thirds vote in the Senate is required to remove Krasner.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
