A Pennsylvania Republican is pushing to impeach Philadelphia’s George Soros-backed district attorney, Larry Krasner, over his failure to rein in crime.
State Sen. Jake Corman wrote a letter to House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R), House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rob Kauffman (R) on Tuesday calling for impeachment proceedings to begin against Krasner.
“In the interest of curbing the lawlessness and current surge in violent crimes in the City of Philadelphia, I am requesting the House of Representatives begin impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia County District Attorney Larry Krasner using the House of Representatives’ authority under Article XI § 4 of the Constitution of Pennsylvania,” Corman began.
Krasner took over as Philadelphia’s district attorney in January 2018 and has since implemented a slew of progressive reforms such as setting lower bail for a variety of crimes, allowing many defendants to walk free. Corman cited several crime statistics in his letter to the Republican House leaders:
- In 2021, Philadelphia set an all-time record for homicides, with more than 550 Pennsylvanians killed in the City last year alone.
- Although police made the highest number of arrests last year for violent gun crimes since 2015, according to the Philadelphia Citizen, the DA’s own data shows that his office has withdrawn or dismissed more violent gun cases every single year he has been in office.
- Since 2015, just 21 percent of shootings in the City have led to criminal charges.
- Of that 21 percent, less than one-tenth of the cases have resulted in a conviction.
Corman also cited recent attacks on lawmakers in Philadelphia, including the carjacking of Rep. Mary Scanlon (D) near FDR Park last month. Scanlon was walking back to her car after meeting with several elected officials to discuss constituent concerns. Two armed men approached her and robbed her of her car at gunpoint.
“Despite the recent crime wave, DA Krasner has not accepted responsibility for his failure to prosecute criminals, nor has he taken any new steps to keep dangerous criminals behind bars. As recently as last month, he shockingly insisted at a press conference that the city did not have a crisis of lawlessness,” Corman wrote.
“As elected officials of this Commonwealth, we cannot turn a blind eye to DA Krasner’s clear dereliction of duty. Meaningful action must be taken to restore a sense of security to the communities and families that have been negatively impacted by his negligence,” he added. “I know that you share these concerns for the well-being of Pennsylvanians, as well as a genuine interest in promoting safer communities. City residents deserve a DA who prioritizes people and public safety above all else.”
Krasner has suffered internal upheaval during his first term as district attorney. His officer has lost hundreds of attorneys in a mass exodus. As The Daily Wire reported:
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office has hemorrhaged hundreds of attorneys throughout his first term, reportedly throwing his office into chaos.
Krasner took office in 2018 as a progressive district attorney backed by financier George Soros. Since taking office, Krasner has prioritized progressive changes to the criminal justice system, such as lax bail policies and reduced prosecutions for certain crimes.
Krasner recruited many young progressive attorneys to join his office after his election win, but dozens of those have already split from Krasner, joining dozens of other senior attorneys in leaving the office.
