The Pennsylvania Senate will head back to its chamber after Thanksgiving to start the impeachment process of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Split along party lines, House Republicans voted 107–85 on Nov. 16 to impeach Krasner, saying he violated his oath of office by enforcing policies that have been a direct cause of rising crime in Philadelphia. It is a vote that may not have happened next session, when Democrats take control of the House.
“The Senate’s Constitutional obligations are clear, so we are prepared to fulfill our duties and continue the impeachment process of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner next week,” Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman said in a statement. “The plan is to call the Senate back to session and convene for two days, Tues, Nov. 29 and Wed, Nov. 30, to officially begin our role in this process.”
Krasner—a Democrat whose campaign was funded in part by billionaire George Soros—was accused of declining to prosecute many drug, theft, and prostitution cases and implementing bail policies that soon put violent offenders back on the street, often to offend again.
Statistics show that gun crimes and homicides are up. Meanwhile, between Jan. 1, 2021, and Oct. 16, 2022, 992 people died by homicide in Philadelphia, according to a report about crime in the city.
The Pennsylvania Constitution directs that all impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. The Senate is to review and judge the evidence presented by the House. Before officially beginning the impeachment trial, the Senate must take three procedural steps next week through a series of resolutions.
The first resolution to set the rules of impeachment will be considered on Tuesday. The rules are modeled after the Congressional rules of impeachment. On the same day, the Senate will consider a resolution to invite the House impeachment managers, and sergeant at arms to officially present the articles of impeachment to the Senate. The resolution will be put forth by newly elected Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, and seconded by state Sen. Lisa Baker, both Republicans, the press release said.
On Wednesday, the House impeachment managers and sergeant at arms will officially present the articles of impeachment to the Senate. A that time, an oath will be taken by all members of the Senate to officially begin the process.
Following these procedural measures, the final resolution, a writ of summons will be put forth for a vote. Pending passage of the final resolution, the writ of summons will be issued to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner requiring him to come before the Senate to answer to impeachment. He will be required to file an answer by Dec. 21 and ordered to appear before the Senate on Jan. 18 at 11:30 a.m.
Krasner Response to Impeachment
Krasner did release a statement on the day of the House vote.“In the hundreds of years the Commonwealth has existed, this is the only time the House has used the drastic remedy of impeachment of an elected official because they do not like their ideas. Those ideas are precisely why Philadelphia voters elected and re-elected me to serve as the Philly DA,” Krasner wrote, adding that an impeachment would erase the votes of Philadelphians.
“They have impeached me without presenting a single shred of evidence connecting our policies to any uptick in crime. We were never given the opportunity to defend our ideas and policies—policies I would have been proud to explain. That Pennsylvania Republicans willfully avoided hearing the facts about my office is shameful,” Krasner wrote. “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.”
