HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania House on Wednesday impeached Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, accusing him of “misbehavior in office” and advancing the extraordinary and rarely used process of trying to remove the city’s top prosecutor from office.
Although the move had been telegraphed for months by the Republican-led chamber, debate on the House floor was deeply divided and fiery before a 107-85 largely along party lines. The chamber hasn’t impeached an officeholder in nearly 30 years, and the Pennsylvania legislature has sought to remove someone from office only a handful of times over the past three centuries.
Republican lawmakers said the action was necessary because Krasner, a Democrat, has implemented criminal-justice reform policies that they say have exacerbated the city’s gun violence crisis. On Wednesday morning, they introduced an amended resolution outlining seven different alleged offenses. They include accusations that Krasner has fueled the city’s surge in murders and homicides, obstructed a legislative committee investigating his office, and mishandled specific criminal cases, including the now-dismissed murder prosecution of former Philadelphia police officer Ryan Pownall.
