Lawmakers Announce Impeachment Proceedings Targeting Soros-Backed Philadelphia DA

Pennsylvania state lawmakers on Monday unveiled articles of impeachment against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

State Reps. Josh Kail, Torren Ecker, and Tim O’Neal, all Republicans, cited Krasner’s alleged failure to curb “unchecked violent crime” and his “willful refusal” to “enforce existing laws” as reasons for beginning the impeachment process.

They also pointed to a recent mass shooting in the city’s downtown South Street neighborhood as “underscor[ing]” the need for lawmakers to “take immediate action.”

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“Unfortunately for the people of Philadelphia, and the people of Pennsylvania at large, the problem of violent crime in Philadelphia has reached a point that demands this action be taken,” Ecker said in a statement released by the state’s House Republican Caucus. “Taking this step today and undertaking this process continues what we have been doing and what we need to do to combat violence and crime here in Pennsylvania — ensure the laws already on the books are enforced.”

“We did not arrive at this decision lightly or easily. In fact, we are taking this action after we have taken significant steps to pass legislation that addresses violent crime in Philadelphia by ensuring our current laws are enforced,” Kail said.

At a press conference following the announcement, O’Neal said the lawmakers expect their articles of impeachment to draw support from some Democrats, noting that while the impeachment process is only just beginning, the group “fully anticipates” that impeaching Philadelphia’s top prosecutor will be a “bipartisan effort.”

Krasner has long been a lightning rod for conservative attacks as a result of his progressive criminal justice reform priorities, such as seeking shorter prison sentences for crimes, relaxing terms of supervision for individuals on parole or probation, and strictly limiting the use of cash bail, which critics have lambasted as soft on crime and a dereliction of prosecutorial responsibility. Under his tenure as district attorney, the City of Brotherly Love has experienced a dramatic increase in homicides and gun violence in comparison to past years.

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Other state lawmakers had previously called for Krasner’s ouster but until now had stopped short of beginning the impeachment process. In January, the top Republican in Pennsylvania’s state Senate urged state representatives to pursue Krasner’s impeachment, a move the district attorney and his allies slammed as a political “stunt.”

According to Pennsylvania’s constitution, public officials can be impeached by a simple majority vote of the state House of Representatives for “any misbehavior in office.” The state Senate would then need to convict the impeached individual with a two-thirds supermajority vote following a trial. While Republicans hold majorities in both the state House and Senate, they lack the requisite two-thirds supermajority in the legislature’s upper chamber.

Krasner’s office did not respond to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.