Philly Mayor Jim Kenney calls the Krasner impeachment a ‘political stunt’

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said a Republican-led attempt to impeach District Attorney Larry Krasner is a “political stunt” that he guesses will go nowhere.

In brief remarks to a reporter after an unrelated event Wednesday morning, Kenney compared the impeachment drive to efforts by some Republicans to question or overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“Apparently they like overturning elections on a national and state level and city level,” said Kenney, a Democrat. “I don’t think anything’s gonna come of it. [Krasner] was just reelected overwhelmingly, and it’s probably another political stunt. They like them.”

Kenney and Krasner have clashed in the past over charging decisions and how the District Attorney’s Office prosecutes certain gun crimes. However, the mayor’s office had previously said in a statement that Kenney “firmly believes that certified elections shouldn’t be overturned by legislative bodies.”

The mayor’s comments came Wednesday as lawmakers in the state House were debating articles of impeachment that accuse Krasner, a Democrat, of implementing policies that contributed to a spike in gun violence and of obstructing a legislative committee tasked with investigating him.

Republican lawmakers say the action is necessary because Krasner, a Democrat, has implemented criminal-justice reform policies that they believe have contributed to rising rates of gun violence in the city.

Krasner has defended his office and cast the impeachment drive as an illegal stunt to target a political opponent over ideological disagreements.