Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner is asking a court to stop a Republican led effort to remove him from office that was launched due to opposition toward Krasner’s progressive crime policies.
“Never before has the legislature exercised its power to impeach and remove someone duly elected twice for things that do not come close to a crime,” Krasner’s lawyers told the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania on Friday. “And never before has the statewide legislature exercised its power to impeach a locally elected officer like District Attorney Krasner.”
In a press release, Krasner’s office said its petition filed in court is a response to “unlawful impeachment proceedings against him, which were initiated by the outgoing Republican House majority in a lame duck, previous legislative session”
The release states that Krasner “has not been accused of corruption or criminal misconduct, and is the first sitting locally elected official in Commonwealth history to be targeted for impeachment by the General Assembly over his policies and ideas.”
IMPEACHMENT MANAGERS NAMED FOR PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY LARRY KRASNER SENATE TRIAL
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner addresses South Street mass shooting at a press conference.
(FOX 29 Philadelphia)
Krasner sued the Senate’s top-ranking Republican, Sen. Kim Ward of Westmoreland County, unnamed members of the Senate committee who will oversee the case and the three impeachment managers designated by the House of Representatives.
Ward’s spokesperson, Erica Clayton Wright, said Friday that the filing was under review and a response will be made “once we have had time to evaluate the case.”
The state House voted on nearly party lines to impeach Krasner on Nov. 16, sending the matter to the state Senate for trial next month. Removal will require support from two-thirds of senators, a tall order in the politically divided chamber.
FILE: Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner addresses the media after a press conference announcing Danielle Outlaw as the new Police Commissioner
(Mark Makela/Getty Images)
Republican lawmakers have accused Krasner, who was backed by progressive megadonor George Soros, of exacerbating Philadelphia’s surging crime problem by implementing progressive criminal justice reform policies and botching certain high profile cases.
“His lack of proper leadership serves as a direct and proximate cause of the crisis currently facing the city of Philadelphia,” the House resolution calling for his impeachment stated.
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Skyline of downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Joe Daniel Price via Getty Images)
GOP State Rep. Timothy Bonner said Krasner has put himself above the law and accused him of deciding which laws to enforce.
“In Philadelphia, a prosecutor is at the center of the rule of law and protecting the law and enforcing the law in this country. A prosecutor has discretion in deciding what charges will be initially filed, but that power is not absolute, and it can be abused.”
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Pennsylvania Democrats have argued that Krasner is being scapegoated for wider problems and that the case against him is weak and an abuse of legislative power. They said the lame duck session impeachment would overturn voters’ will and that House Republicans have themselves failed to act to address gun violence.
Krasner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report
