Philly DA Larry Krasner and allies slam impeachment and removal effort: ‘This is something you do for crimes’

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who was impeached last week by the Pennsylvania state House, denounced the charges against him as a Republican-led effort to disenfranchise city voters and said the push to remove him from office sets a dangerous precedent.

During a news conference at Philadelphia City Hall Monday, Krasner and more than a dozen of his political allies said the prosecutor has not committed any impeachable offenses but was impeached for implementing progressive policies.

“Never in the history of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania has there ever been an effort to impeach, charge, or remove someone from office for their policies,” said Krasner, a Democrat. “This is something you do for crimes.”

The seven articles of impeachment make a range of accusations, including that Krasner’s reform-oriented policies fueled the city’s gun violence crisis and that his office has mishandled criminal cases. They also allege Krasner obstructed a House select committee that was formed this summer to investigate him.

The district attorney’s comments come as Republicans in Harrisburg are preparing to deliver their impeachment case to the state Senate, where a trial would be held. The timing is uncertain, and Krasner said he’s been given no information on when it might take place or how he will be permitted to defend himself.

House Republicans on Friday named three managers — two Republicans and one Democrat — to shepherd the case to the upper chamber, but none was certain if it would be brought before the end of this legislative session on Nov. 30, or be delayed until next year.

Removal from office would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, where Republicans hold 28 of 50 seats.

» READ MORE: Philly DA Larry Krasner has been impeached. Here’s what you should know.

In addition to being politically charged, the impeachment process is likely to be litigated. Krasner already filed one lawsuit over the matter, arguing in September that a legislative committee hunting for grounds to impeach him is illegal. He said Monday that other legal challenges are being considered, but didn’t provide details.

Alongside him in the ornate Mayor’s Reception Room in City Hall were criminal-justice reform activists, gun-violence prevention advocates, and progressive elected officials who have long backed him. His supporters said Krasner has implemented needed reforms in the name of racial justice.

“This is what happens, this circus impeachment, when you try to defend Black people,” said Nicolas O’Rourke, an activist with the Working Families Party.

In a statement following the news conference, Jason Gottesman, a spokesperson for House Republicans, said only: “Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has been impeached by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. No press conference can change that.”

Krasner’s impeachment is moving forward amid the backdrop of a seismic shift in power in Harrisburg. Republican lawmakers advanced the articles of impeachment in the final days of the legislative session and passed them almost exclusively along partisan lines — on the same day Democrats clinched a narrow majority of seats in the state House. Come January, Republicans will no longer hold a majority of seats in the chamber for the first time in more than a decade.

» READ MORE: Why was Larry Krasner impeached? Breaking down the charges against the DA

The GOP has cast the effort as stepping in to rein in a rogue prosecutor amid a startlingly high gun violence rate in the city. Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R., Centre), the majority leader, said last week that the party was standing up for both Philadelphia citizens and residents across the state who may visit the city.

“It is saddening and it doesn’t matter what the geography is,” he said. “It should upset all Pennsylvanians.”

Democrats have criticized the GOP for the process, saying they rammed through an impeachment in the final days of a lame-duck session after watching their 23-seat majority in the House be erased in the midterm election.

“This is them trying to make as much noise, kicking and screaming, out the door as they can,” said Rep. Rick Krajewski, a West Philadelphia Democrat. “This is them trying to not go out silently.”

Krasner added that those in favor of his removal “better be careful before you make this two-edged sword,” saying if the impeachment succeeds, “don’t be surprised when the other team starts doing it to you.

“Can you imagine a country where no election is final?” he asked. “That is the world some people want, and that is not the world that voters want.”