Madison Kwiecinski – Editor-in-Chief 

mvk5945@psu.edu

Pennsylvania House Republicans have filed articles of Impeachment against Philadelphia District Attorney, Larry Krasner.

State Representative Martina White, who has led the charge for the impeachment resolution, has accused Krasnre of being “responsible for the rise in crime across our city,” and stated that he had “tipped the scales of justice in favor of criminals.”

The first step of the impeachment process was instigated on the last day in which legislative business could occur prior to the midterm elections. Krasner has referred to this opportune timing as “a political stunt.”

“Part of the Republican playbook, as you well know, is to point a finger as large, diverse cities and say, ‘Large, diverse cities are lawless,’” Krasner stated, saying lawmakers who are attempting to impeach him were trying “to erase Philadelphia’s votes” and increasing the overall tension in this election cycle.

Krasner was re-elected just last year, with a large amount of support. Krasner is often viewed as a national leader among progressive prosecutors, which likely is the reason his charges relate to being soft on crime.

The move towards impeachment is essentially unprecedented. Pennsylvania has only impeached two officials in the entirety of its history – one in 1811 and one in 1994. Krasner has not committed any crime, nor has anyone accused him of corruption in any way, as that is not what the impeachment articles are based on. “I recognize the unprecedented nature of what must be done and am confident our members are up to the task,” stated Rep. White at a news conference in Harrisburg when announcing the impeachment articles.

According to the Pennsylvania Constitution, the Legislature has broad power to impeach “all civil officers” for “any
misbehavior in office,” though this power has almost never been used. “It;s clear under the Constitution that ‘misbehavior in office’ is the standard,” stated Republican Representative Torren Ecker, when he was asked what impeachable offense Krasner had committed. “Failing to do his duty and uphold the law – that is the very definition
of misbehavior.” The legislature is scheduled to recess the Wednesday prior to the Nov. 8 election, but Republican leaders have stated they are willing to add more days to the legislative session to secure a vote on impeachment as
soon as possible.
Krasner is not accused of committing a crime, but rather of being too loose on crime. He is accused of “dereliction of duty” for what the Republican legislature has called a failure to enforce criminal laws adequately. The claim is that crime in Philly is rising, leading to a decreasing quality of life for those who live there.