Pennsylvania House Votes to Impeach Philadelphia District Attorney

The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 107-85 in favor of passing a resolution to impeach the Philadelphia District Attorney, Larry Krasner (D), this past Wednesday. Proponents of impeachment are citing an uptick in crime in the city as evidence of Krasner’s failings.

Key Quotes: The resolution states that policies enacted under Krasner “have led to catastrophic consequences for the people of the City of Philadelphia.” A statement from PA House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R) stated the decision to impeach was made to put “on the record that we stand with the people of Philadelphia.” Responding to the impeachment, Krasner stated, “they have impeached me without presenting a single shred of evidence connecting our policies to any uptick in crime. We were never given the opportunity to defend our ideas and policies – policies I would have been proud to explain.”

For Context: Krasner is currently serving his second term as Pennsylvania DA. During his time in office, he has enacted a number of progressive reforms to drug-enforcement and prison sentencing. Philadelphia has seen a spike in homicides in recent years, according to the Philadelphia Police Department. The impeachment follows a trend in blue cities– San Francisco’s DA was recalled last summer. A similar recall effort in Los Angeles failed to make it to the ballot.

How the Media Covered It: News of the impeachment was covered nationally across the spectrum. Breitbart News (Right Bias) noted that Krasner’s campaign received contributions from George Soros.