House Impeaches Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has been impeached.

The House voted 107 to 85 on House Resolution 240, which seeks to impeach and remove Krasner from office.

State legislators allege Krasner has been derelict in his duties to uphold the law, and thus has contributed to increased crime in the city.

With Wednesday's vote, the state Senate will hold a trial on impeachment charges.

Two thirds of the Senate must approve the charges for Krasner to be removed from office.

Two articles were filed by prime sponsor Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia).

"Larry Krasner is the top law enforcement official who is supposed to be representing the interests of our Commonwealth in Philadelphia criminal cases," White said. "His dereliction of duty and despicable behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

One alleges Krasner "has been derelict in his obligations to the victims of crime, the people of the City of Philadelphia and of this Commonwealth."

The article cites the decision in the case Larsen v. Senate of Pennsylvania by Commonwealth Court, which established the definition of misbehavior in office.

The second article accuses Krasner of obstructing the committee.

"District Attorney Krasner has, at every turn, obstructed the efforts of the House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order," the article reads. "He has consistently raised specious claims without a good faith basis in law or fact. Even after the House of Representatives resolved to hold him in contempt, District Attorney Krasner's efforts to comply with subpoenas issued by the select committee chair fall far short of what could be described as a reasonable good faith effort."

The committee says Krasner is guilty of impeachable offenses that warrant his removal from office.

"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 said after Wednesday's vote. "Those ideas are precisely why Philadelphia voters elected and re-elected me to serve as the Philly DA – in two landslides."

He said Philadelphians' votes should not be erased.

"History will harshly judge this anti-democratic authoritarian effort to erase Philly's votes – votes by Black, brown, and broke people in Philadelphia," he said And voters will have the last word."