West PA Legislator Plans Resolution To Impeach Gov. Tom Wolf

HARRISBURG, PA —State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe is asking colleagues to co-sponsor a resolution calling for the impeachment of Gov. Tom Wolf. The Butler County Republican claims the governor violated the Constitutional rights of state residents by ordering the state shutdown as the coronavirus outbreak spread.

“His order constitutes a taking of property from business owners without just compensation," Metcalfe stated in a memorandum to fellow legislators. "The lack of due process and judicial review permitted under his order also violates the Constitution. In addition, this order coupled with the stay-at-home order, has violated our rights to free speech and assembly."

Metcalfe also criticized Wolf for a lack of transparency, contending state agencies stopped responding to requests for records and information - particularly in regard to decisions as to which businesses could stay open during the shutdown.

"While the Wolf administration has finally slowly begun to release some of the relevant information regarding which businesses received waivers, they have yet to release any information about how or why these decisions were made," Metcalfe said. "His delays and obfuscation have been, and continue to be, entirely unacceptable."

Metcalfe said he will introduce a resolution to impeach the governor and exhibiting Articles of Impeachment to the state Senate.

Wolf isn't the first elected official that Metcalfe has attempted to impeach. Last year, he called for the impeachment of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto after he signed controversial gun control legislation into law. Metcalfe said on Facebook at the time that he asked a House attorney to draft a resolution to impeach Peduto for the gun control ordinances; the attempt went nowhere after that.