Larry Krasner, the district attorney of Philadelphia, has expressed his “disappointment” at the possibility of impeachment, arguing that such a move would only be made to win “political points.”
Previously, Krasner had accused Republicans of using “racist propaganda” when discussing criminal justice matters.
After the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order requested a written statement from Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Friday, Krasner responded by saying he is “utterly disappointed” in the committee’s approach to impeach him and that it is only being done to score “political points.”
Krasner states in his letter to the Select Committee that they “repeatedly denied” to have a public or private hearing with him but instead asked for written testimony.
Instead of scheduling a public or private meeting with me, you asked that I provide a written statement by today at 5:00 p.m. The questions I should answer and the points I should make were not specified by you. “You indicated merely that it should be related to the Select Committee’s function,” Krasner remarked.
In addition, he stated that it came as “no surprise” that the committee was anxious about making the Friday deadline.
You need to make it seem like you’ve heard from me before attempting to impeach me as Philadelphia District Attorney, and Monday is the first working day after the weekend (for its penultimate sessions before the midterm election).
The District Attorney of Philadelphia has indicated that “there has been no proof of criminal behavior or corruption of any form,” hence the Select Committee has never explicitly identified the “basis of impeachment.”
In my role as District Attorney, I always make choices that further the cause of justice and strengthen public security. I solemnly affirm it. According to the letter, Krasner has always prioritized public safety by focusing on the most serious and violent crimes.
We’ve been working on this for a while, but we’re now making some progress thanks to increased government support from Philadelphia and the Commonwealth and some new grant opportunities. After seeing this progress, Krasner said, “I am happy to see that advancement despite the delay.”
He told the Select Committee that he was open to discussing “the prosecution of crime and public safety” if they weren’t “chasing political points soon before an election.”
Republican Speaker of the Pennsylvania House Bryan Cutler wrote back to Krasner, saying, “[Krasner] is once again neglecting the epidemic of violence in his community.”
I’m disappointed, but not surprised, by Mr. Krasner’s testimony before the House Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order. He may be genuinely misinformed, but it’s more likely that he’s intentionally misleading the public about the committee’s actual goals in an ongoing attempt to divert attention away from his own failures as an elected official. Worse, Cutler said, “it is fairly clear that he does not grasp the legal processes or the power of the House of Representatives.
Despite Krasner’s claims that the Select Committee was established to impeach him, Cutler insisted that the group’s primary objective was improving public safety.
The committee’s end goal, according to Mr. Krasner, is to have the district attorney removed from office. Again, he’s choosing to ignore the escalating rate of violence in his neighborhood. The committee’s stated goal is to “create law and order, unearth practical solutions that save lives, and stop a culture of violence that is affecting the everyday lives of millions of residents and tourists to one of our nation’s most iconic cities,” as stated by Cutler.
At a press conference he held on Friday morning, Krasner called the Republican Party’s crime platform “racist propaganda,” calling the GOP’s tactic to “point a finger at enormous, diversified cities and claim large, diverse cities are lawless” a kind of discrimination.
Krasner said that this follows “the same old screenplay,” which is replete with racial code. Philadelphia is singled out for its role in the overall problem of gun violence while seeing lower rates of gun homicide than the counties represented on the committee. This is due to the city’s huge and diverse population.