PA Lawmaker To Gov. Tom Wolf: Resign Or Be Impeached

HARRISBURG, PA —The Republican state representative who recently introduced articles of impeachment against Gov. Tom Wolf is ramping up the effort to have Wolf leave office. In a letter to Wolf, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe urged the governor to resign or face impeachment and possible removal from office.

“With each passing day, the General Assembly and those we represent are gaining further momentum in pursuing your impeachment," Metcalfe wrote. "Following the shame and struggles you have placed upon the state, we ask that you save us further strife by resigning on your own accord. Your further authoritarian dictates as of (Wednesday) have only strengthened our resolve."

Metcalfe, from Butler County north of Pittsburgh, and 24 co-sponsors last month introduced a bill containing five articles of impeachment against Wolf. The legislation has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

The bill calls for Wolf's impeachment because:

• His shutdown orders for two months amid the outbreak's peak in the state deprived state residents of their constitutional rights. "Wolf's orders violate the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly rights guaranteed by the First Amendment," the bill states.

• His business shutdown edict unfairly harmed small businesses while allowing larger ones to continue operating. Additionally, a controversial waiver process in which individual businesses could appeal the shutdown order "was applied in an arbitrary and capricious manner, leading to inconsistent and unjust results," the measure alleges.

• He failed to sufficiently staff unemployment compensation offices during the shutdown, forcing some people to wait weeks to receive word that they were eligible for unemployment benefits. "Desperate citizens of this Commonwealth have been unable to get assistance over the phone or via email from unemployment compensation offices to determine when they will receive benefits," the bill contends.

• He failed to properly protect the most vulnerable to COVID-19, residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities where the majority of coronavirus deaths have occurred. "Although Gov. Wolf had ample notice that residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities were at severe risk of dying from COVID-19, (he) failed to direct the Department of Health to develop and implement a comprehensive plan" that addressed the outbreak in such facilities.

• He has actively withheld critical information pertaining to the outbreak from the public, media and General Assembly. "State agencies under Gov. Wolf's jurisdiction have stopped responding to requests under the Right-to-Know law during the COVID-19 outbreak," the bill states.

Metcalfe's letter to Wolf on Thursday came a day after Wolf announced additional restrictions on indoor dining, alcohol consumption and large gatherings as the state attempts to regain control of the coronavirus after a surge of cases in recent weeks. The new mitigation measures were harshly criticized by Republican lawmakers who allege that Wolf exceeded his authority in issuing them.

“Through your executive actions, you have endangered the lives and livelihoods of Pennsylvanians from all walks of life," Metcalfe wrote in the letter to Wolf. "Had you followed the rule of law, conferred with the co-equal branches of government, respected the Constitution, and acknowledged the need for the consent of the governed, the confusing Orwellian predicament we currently face could have been avoided.

“Before your impeachment is further pursued by the General Assembly, I ask that you make the honorable choice to step down and save the Commonwealth from further hardship and
embarrassment."

You can read the entire letter here.