Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is raising eyebrows with his comments in a recent article in City and State.
The progressive Democrat who gained office with the aid of money from notorious liberal donor George Soros is seeking his third term as DA. In the article, Krasner calls President Trump a “white collar criminal” and MAGA Republicans “fascists.”
He says, “They are bullies who need to be punched in the face as hard as possible, and that is the only way that all the people around us who are so frightened will understand they can stand up, too.”
Although no Republican is running against Krasner, he faces stiff opposition in the Democratic primary from former Judge Patrick Dugan. Dugan has gained the support of numerous trade unions. The Philadelphia Democratic Party did not endorse either candidate.
Asked to comment on Krasner’s violent rhetoric, Dugan said, “Larry has been talking tough a lot lately to chase headlines. It would be nice for once to see him use that same anger and energy toward prosecuting illegal guns, fentanyl dealers, and carjackings to make our city safer.”
State Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) slammed Krasner, too.
“District Attorney Krasner’s comments, including his call for political opponents to be ‘punched in the face,’ are reprehensible and dangerous. There is no place for violent rhetoric in our public discourse, especially from someone who holds the responsibility of enforcing the law,” said White.
“It is deeply troubling that the city’s top law enforcement official would resort to language that encourages physical violence against people he disagrees with politically. This is not just inappropriate. It is reckless. We have seen the consequences of politically motivated violence across the country. Leaders should be working to calm tensions, not inflame them,” she said.
Albert Eisenberg, principal with BlueStateRed, said, “Larry Krasner would know about assaulting people since he has spent his entire career defending the worst murderers, rapists and other criminals Philadelphia has to offer, and more recently gutting the District Attorney’s Office and re-victimizing thousands of the most marginalized Philadelphians every year.
“There is no camera he will not jump in front of and no murderer he will not defend,” said Eisenberg. “The only time he is interested in being tough on anything is when it involves national conservatives, and then he relishes issuing statements he has no business making while ignoring his present workload, which is the prosecution of crime in Philadelphia. All the better if he can hire a crony law firm he is affiliated with using Philadelphians’ taxpayer money.”
White added, “The people of Philadelphia deserve a district attorney focused on prosecuting violent criminals, not one who spends his time making extreme political statements and stoking division. Mr. Krasner’s words do not reflect the values of this city or the responsibilities of his office.”
Krasner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
