The Pennsylvania state Senate on Wednesday began what could be a long and partisan process of considering whether to force Philadelphia's Democratic district attorney, Larry Krasner, from office.
Krasner — a progressive civil rights lawyer who ran as an opponent of the death penalty, cash bail and prosecuting minor nonviolent offenses — was overwhelmingly reelected last year to a second four-year term. He calls his impeachment “pure politics” and an effort to subvert the will of Philadelphia voters, while Democrats call it an abuse of legislative power.
However, Krasner said House Republicans don’t have a shred of evidence that his policies are connected to an “uptick” in crime, and numerous researchers say they've found no connection between progressive crimefighting policies and an increase in homicide rates. The state constitution requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate to convict, or 34 of 50 senators. The Nov. 8 election gave the GOP a 28-22 majority in the Senate in the next legislative session.
Krasner's impeachment vote came amid rising gun violence and homicides in the state's largest city, and disagreements between Krasner and police department brass over how to stem it. Krasner also has clashed with the city's police union — which supported his opponents in both of his campaigns — amid a slew of criminal cases involving charges against officers in the nation's sixth-most populous city.
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