Pa. House Republicans trying to impeach DA Larry Krasner are likely to pass a resolution to investigate his office

In a highly unusual move, Republicans on the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee took the first steps Tuesday to form an investigative committee with subpoena powers to probe Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office in search of impeachable offenses.

The measure, introduced by State Rep. Josh Kail, a Republican who represents a district southwest of Pittsburgh, passed along party lines and has been recommended to the House of Representatives for final approval. A vote is expected Wednesday, and it’s likely to pass, lawmakers say, given the Republican majority in the chamber.

The effort comes as the first step in Republican lawmakers’ efforts to introduce articles of impeachment against Krasner, a Democrat, over what they called his dereliction of duty in addressing Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis — a move Krasner has dismissed as a political stunt that is potentially unconstitutional.

In a statement, Krasner’s office called the resolution a “farce” and noted that Tuesday, just before approving the resolution to investigate the DA, Republicans “gutted” a bill that would have required background checks for all firearms sales in the state.

DA spokesperson Jane Roh said GOP lawmakers “don’t want Pennsylvanians to know that they’re working overtime to flood gun-saturated communities with even more unregulated firearms, and to prevent local law enforcement from keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, insurrectionists, bigoted extremists, and other violent criminals.”

Roh also pointed to rising violence in Kail’s district in Washington and Beaver Counties, and questioned why he wasn’t investigating the DAs there.

The resolution would create a “Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order,” made up of three Republicans and two Democrats, selected by the speaker of the House. The group would investigate, review, and draft a report with recommendations on Krasner’s leadership and Philadelphia’s rise in violent crime; the enforcement and prosecution of crimes; the use of public funds to enforce criminal law and prosecutions; and the treatment of victims, among other things.

“Lives have been lost, property has been destroyed, families have been crushed,” Kail said Tuesday. “Enough is enough with this district attorney and his policies.

“If this committee finds this district attorney’s dereliction of duty rises to the level of misbehavior in office, this committee ought to recommend articles of impeachment,” he said.

House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, a Republican, said he supports the measure and hopes the probe leaves “no stone unturned.”

Committee Democrats said that the move sets a “terrible precedent” and that the committee has a “preordained conclusion.”

“I don’t see how any Pennsylvanian should have any trust in the process,” said Rep. Mike Zabel, a Delaware County Democrat. “I think we’re headed down a really dangerous path. ... It is grossly irresponsible to use our legislative and investigative processes for political purposes like this.”

Any effort to impeach Krasner would require evidence of corruption or clear misbehavior in office, experts say — not simply political or ideological disagreements over how he manages his office and prosecutes crime.

Rep. Tim Briggs, the ranking Democrat on the committee, called it a “waste of taxpayer money,” and Rep. Jason Dawkins of Philadelphia called on Republicans to fund crime prevention efforts.

“If you want to see the city of Philadelphia thrive,” Dawkins said, “fund our schools, fund our programs, and get out of our way.”

Krasner, who campaigned on a pledge of criminal justice reform, was reelected to a second term in November with more than 70% of the vote. Any effort to remove him would require the state House to approve impeachment by a majority vote, then the state Senate would hold a trial, and conviction would require a two-thirds vote. Republicans do not hold two-thirds majority and would have to sway Democrats to support the effort.

The legislature only rarely takes steps toward impeachment, which it historically reserves for significant misconduct. In 2016, the Judiciary Committee formed a subcommittee to investigate then-Attorney General Kathleen Kane after she was convicted of perjury. Kane resigned, rendering the campaign moot.

Kail acknowledged that the impeachment effort was an “extraordinary step” but said it’s warranted. He said Krasner’s office has not adequately enforced laws to combat gun violence, and he criticized the DA for saying a focus on illegal gun possession would not reduce shootings in the city.

Krasner’s office filed 2,447 illegal gun possession cases last year, by far the highest number of such prosecutions since at least 2014. His office has a lower conviction rate on gun crime than previous administrations, dropping from 63% in 2017 to 49% two years later — a record that has drawn scrutiny from police officials. Krasner has attributed that to factors including weak evidence, reluctant witnesses, and courthouse disruptions caused by the pandemic. He also has declined to prosecute lower-level crimes like prostitution, retail theft, and marijuana possession.

Staff writer Chris Palmer contributed to this article.