Violent crime is surging in Pennsylvania’s biggest city, and Republican lawmakers in the state have had enough. According to CBS News, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is facing impeachment.
CBS News reported that the Pennsylvania state House voted 107-85 on Wednesday to impeach Krasner, a progressive Democrat who received support from George Soros’ Justice and Public Safety PAC.
Krasner accused of tolerating “anarchy and violence”
Republican state Rep. Martina White complained that Krasner has been dialectic in his duties, saying, “This man has denied that there is even a crisis of crime happening on our streets.”
“No public official is above accountability, and if not for us in this chamber, he would have no oversight,” CBS News quoted White as adding.
Tim Bonner is a fellow Republican state representative as well as a former prosecutor, and he complained that “anarchy and violence will prevail” if Krasner is allowed to continue letting criminals off the hook.
“No one individual has the right to set aside the laws of Congress or the General Assembly because they simply do not like the law. No one has that degree of absolute power,” Bonner complained.
However, Democrats like state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta are pushing back. CBS News quoted Kenyatta as telling Republicans, “You are doing the wrong thing.”
“I will be generous and say that maybe you’re making a mistake. But if you look at what is before us, and when we think about the sacred obligation we have as members of this august body, this is not what we ought to be doing,” he added.
DA says impeachment is an attempt to “erase” minority votes
Krasner, who was re-elected last week, put out a tweet on Wednesday in which he accused Republicans of trying “to erase” the votes of “Black, brown, and broke people in Philadelphia.”
Philadelphians’ votes, and Philadelphia voters, 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. And voters will have the last word. https://t.co/22wAaNGkw9
— DA Larry Krasner (@DA_LarryKrasner) November 16, 2022
CBS News pointed out how it remains uncertain as to when Krasner’s state Senate trial will begin as the upper chamber’s two-year legislative session is scheduled to conclude in two weeks.
However, Republican state Sen. Kim Ward has indicated that she will add days on to the session if it becomes necessary to do so.