DV Journal

A group of state House Republicans announced Monday they are launching an effort to impeach Philadelphia’s progressive District Attorney Larry Krasner to “highlight his absolute dereliction of duty.”

“Lives have been lost,” said Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington), one of the three lawmakers to begin circulating the impeachment legislation. “Property has been destroyed. And families have been crushed. Enough is enough.”

Rep. Torren Ecker (R-Adams/Cumberland) is also part of the effort, along with Tim O’Neal (R-Washington). “Krasner said six months ago, ‘We do not believe arresting people and convicting them for illegal gun possession is a viable strategy to reduce shooting,'” Ecker noted.

“Since that time there have been nearly 950 people injured or killed as a result of gun violence in Philadelphia,” Ecker continued, “a nearly 7 percent increase over last year. There have been 220 homicides in the city of Philadelphia, 194 fatal shootings, and 796 nonfatal shootings. There’s been an 8 percent increase in shooting incidents in Philadelphia. It’s widespread lawlessness in the city of Philadelphia.”

Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) backs the impeachment effort.

“The lawlessness in Philadelphia has been exasperated by the intentional lack of adequate prosecution by and under Krasner’s direction. That is coming to an end,” White said.

“Impeachment is a rarely used process, but the time has come,” she said. “No longer can we allow law-abiding citizens to live in fear or to be victimized by the criminals who have been emboldened by the district attorney?

“I want to thank my colleagues for standing with Pennsylvanians and announcing they will be introducing articles of impeachment for Larry Krasner. I have co-sponsored the articles and will support my colleagues in every way possible through the process,” White said.

The plan to impeach the progressive distinct attorney echoes the successful effort in California where voters in deep-blue San Francisco threw far-left prosecutor Chesa Boudin out of office two weeks ago. Removing Krasner has support from some legislative heavy hitters.

“Now is the time to have a serious discussion about impeaching Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner,” said Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin). “Philadelphia’s unchecked crime problem is a statewide concern and the district attorney’s open refusal to enforce current Pennsylvania law in the city is a clear dereliction of his duty to keep Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians safe.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) called for Krasner’s impeachment when he was campaigning for governor earlier this year.

“Today’s announcement couldn’t come soon enough,” said a spokesman for Corman. “Philadelphians deserve a D.A. who puts dangerous criminals behind bars instead of letting them back out onto the streets to seek more victims.”

A simple majority vote will be required in the House to impeach Krasner. It would take a two-thirds vote for the Senate to convict him.

Dom Giordano, a Philadelphia resident and talk radio host, has long decried Krasner’s handling of crime in the city.

“We’ve been involved in this pounding and pounding away,”  said Giordano.

He says he believes Krasner will likely be his own worst enemy when he goes before the House to testify with “his typical arrogance and smugness.

“It’s his arrogance. He’s just one of a kind. These other guys can’t hold a candle to him, the other progressive prosecutors. He’s dug in,” Giordano said.

Giordano noted that after the South Street shooting, Mayor Jim Kenney commented about the violence and the lack of prosecution of crime.

Kenney said, “We cannot accept continued violence as a way of life in our country. Until we address the availability and ease of access to firearms, we will always be fighting an uphill battle.”

That comment from Kenney might also be a turning point, said Giordano.

Giordano said the impeachment will get bipartisan support since Democrats are up for re-election, some facing competitive races.

Krasner did not respond to a request for comment.

However, Rep. Ben Sanchez (D-Abington) called the impeachment effort a “political stunt by three legislators who live nowhere near Philadelphia and who are looking to deflect from the pressure millions of Americans are putting on them right now to enact commonsense gun safety reform.

“I would implore those legislators to work on gun safety legislation to address this problem which has existed long before D.A. Larry Krasner was twice elected. We could start by passing House Bill 980 which would require lost and stolen firearms reporting and help reduce the flow of illegal guns to the City of Philadelphia and its suburbs.”

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The best news from last week clearly was that San Francisco voters, among the most liberal citizens in America, overwhelmingly voted to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin. They rejected his progressive policies that created spikes in murders and property crimes. The success of the anti-Boudin effort appears to have energized those close to meeting the signature requirements needed to get Los Angeles District George Gascon on a ballot for recall as well.

While all this was happening to these two George Soros-backed district attorneys in California, here in Philadelphia we have our own story. Gun violence on South Street has garnered international attention and raised troubling questions for Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

It was very clear that Kenney was under fire, returning to Philadelphia from a national conference in Reno, then hiding from the press. Outlaw was under fire because it is believed by many observers that she is curtailing the police from enforcing quality of life laws that underpin any semblance of a civilized city under rule of law.

Krasner was the only one of the big three who was not on the defensive. Krasner shares the same abysmal record on crime as the Soros-backed district attorneys in California. However, as I have discussed with both Seth Williams, his predecessor as district attorney, and former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Krasner has some tactics that even they can’t match.

First, Krasner reminds me a lot of Sam Hinkie, the former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers who essentially fielded teams that would lose a lot and consistently gain high draft picks. It was called The Process. The result of that embarrassing experiment is Joel Embiid and a string of flawed draft picks. Embiid can’t get through the regular season and playoffs without being hobbled by a major injury. Yet, there are still many sports fans in Philadelphia who loved that because it is different, and it was a big idea.

Krasner sells the same potion as Hinkie. He constantly talks about his dismantling of a racist system of justice, his attacks on the police, his grants to questionable community groups, and his record of exonerating people in prison he and his staff have deemed innocent. He uses the media effectively to publicly celebrate the people that Larry has “brought home.”

Williams joined me on my radio show to discuss public claims that Krasner has rigged this exoneration project. Williams was very proud of the fact that he established the First Conviction Integrity Unit in the history of Pennsylvania. He talked about his early years as a beginning prosecutor being mentored by Black lawyers who were very aware of trying make the system of justice fair for all. I could tell how angry he was at Krasner for his attacks on him and the lawyers he knew.

Krasner will continue to bludgeon everyone else and is now prepping for the crown jewel of his efforts to satisfy his supporters by being what Nutter called him: ‘The Great White Hope.’

On June 29, the next hearing on the fate of Mumia Abu Jamal happens in Philadelphia. Maureen Faulkner, the widow of police officer Daniel Faulkner who was murdered by Mumia, believes Krasner is in the tank for progressive extremists and wants to get Mumia released from prison.

I share that belief.

The bottom line is Krasner will continue his destructive path until the local media challenge his record. Since we don’t have a recall mechanism, it would be up to Republicans in Harrisburg to show some political coverage and move for impeachment hearings on Krasner.

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When the news broke last week that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring from the Supreme Court, I reminded my radio listeners that the progressive group Demand Justice had Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on their shortlist of people they would like to see on the Supreme Court.

For the record, I wholly support the nomination of Krasner because he would be rejected, and the spectacle of his testimony would help to get him impeached from his current office and further shine a light on all the current George Soros-supported district attorneys that are enabling an out-of-control crime surge.

The impeachment of Krasner has been a centerpiece of my thinking since Pennsylvania Senate President Jake Corman broke the news on my show that he wrote an open letter to the Republican leaders in the state House of Representatives calling upon them to start the impeachment process against Krasner for his refusal to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

That announcement has triggered tremendous support from my listeners, but a number of tense interviews with Republican elected officials who are dreaming up all kinds of reasons why they won’t proceed with holding Krasner accountable. People like State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who is also a candidate for governor. He went on Newsmax to say it would be wrong to try to impeach Krasner because Krasner recently won re-election with 70 percent of the vote in Philadelphia.

Well, Alvin Bragg, the recently-elected district attorney of Manhattan who won 83 percent of the vote, was confronted in a public meeting by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Word was leaked from the meeting that Hochul would remove Bragg from office if he continued his promise to not prosecute or fully prosecute violent crimes. Therefore, since we have no impeachment process in Philadelphia, we need state officials to hold Krasner accountable.

Republicans have also told me they have given Attorney General Josh Shapiro concurrent power to Krasner to prosecute crimes that Krasner will not prosecute. I believe that is an attempt to damage Shapiro’s run for governor. They have to know Shapiro has not challenged Krasner yet and will continue to dodge using this power.

Republican leaders have also told me Corman and the state Senate already have the power to remove Krasner from office, and they don’t want any proceedings to start in the House of Representatives. I think they are wrong. In order for any impeachment proceedings to not be perceived as wholly political, it is important that Krasner be given every chance to defend himself by receiving full hearings in the House, followed by an impeachment vote in the House, followed by a trial in the Senate.

The last argument I’ve heard by elected officials on my show is that no Democrat in the Senate would vote to impeach, giving the body the necessary two-thirds of votes needed to remove Krasner from office. First, Corman told me last week he had been approached by two Philadelphia Democrat House members who said if articles of impeachment are presented, they would vote to impeach Krasner. Corman also noted several relatively moderate Democrat senators would be under pressure from their constituents to vote to remove Krasner if he testified and his record was fully publicized across the state.

I’m convinced that within the next few weeks, articles of impeachment against Krasner will be offered in the House of Representatives. When that happens, it will be time to force Krasner to explain how his non-enforcement of the law and the resulting carnage in Philadelphia is not impeachable.

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Short of doing something illegal, which is not exactly unheard of in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I have done everything within my limited power to get rid of Larry Krasner.

Krasner, Philadelphia’s progressive District Attorney, is presiding over the largest spike in violent crime, including homicides, in recent history: Our own Philly Killing Fields.

These are the things that I did:

1. Wrote numerous articles about the damage that he is doing to the city, particularly his callous mistreatment of victims and their families;
2. Battled mightily on social media with people who have misrepresented his actions and minimized the carnage, including people with blue checks next to their names like Philadelphia city council members and Philadelphia mayors;
3. Changed my registration from Republican to Democrat so I could vote against him in the May primary;
4. Voted against him in the May primary, even though Krasner’s coterie of supporters tried to keep me from getting to the polls (as I wrote in a previous column);
5. Supported Charles Peruto in the general election, both by interviewing him online and voting for him in person;
6. Hosted radio programs where informed guests explained just how dangerous he has been, and still is, to the orderly administration of justice.

I’ve also channeled my Italian grandmother and relatives from her generation and invoked the malocchio, a/k/a, “Evil Eye” in the hope that he comes down with a debilitating case of dengue fever. (Don’t worry, it’s not fatal.)

Nothing has worked, because he is still there, and his supporters are still spreading their lies about how there is no “crisis of violence” in the city of Philadelphia.

So I’ve come to realize that this is out of my hands, and we need to look to others with more power, authority, and connections to neutralize this progressive threat. One of those people has made his move, and I applaud him with every sinew and bone in my body.

That person is state Sen. Jake Corman, who is running for the gubernatorial seat up for grabs because the current occupant, Tom Wolf, is limited (hallelujah!) from seeking a third term. But first things first.

This week, Corman sent a letter to state House Leader Bryan Cutler, urging him to initiate impeachment proceedings against Krasner. Corman noted, “The recent spike in violent crime is a direct result of DA Krasner’s failed policies and his refusal to perform the duties of his office to hold criminals accountable for the crimes that they commit. His decision to allow more and more criminals to walk free through plea deals and dismissed charges has created an environment in which Philadelphians are no longer safe in their own homes and communities.”

As someone who is currently living and working in Philadelphia, I can attest to the truth of that last sentence. I no longer feel safe walking the streets, taking public transportation, or even going into a store. I no longer feel as if I can travel in a car in the city without some delinquent brandishing a gun and trying to carjack the vehicle.

How can you blame me, a person without a security detail, for feeling that apprehension when just weeks ago my congressional representative Mary Gay Scanlon was herself the victim of a carjacking in broad daylight? She has the full force of the federal government behind her, while I have a months-old container of pepper spray and a bad Italian-Irish attitude.

While I can make offhanded jokes about it, there is nothing funny about the crime statistics in my beloved hometown, statistics that are directly attributable to the gross mismanagement of Larry Krasner. This is a man who is not even capable of taking responsibility for what is happening on his watch but instead tries to shift the blame on the dreaded bogeyman of all radical leftists: Republicans. His refusal to even acknowledge the rising tide of crime in the city was so egregious that former Mayor Michael Nutter, no conservative, wrote a scathing op-ed that read like an Emile Zola-esque “J’accuse” against a man and an administration that have no respect for human life.

There is no justification for Krasner’s malfeasance, and this ridiculous idea that he won in a landslide victory in November ignores the cogent fact that less than 30 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.  In some wards, they couldn’t even crack 10 percent. So Krasner won through apathy, not enthusiasm.

That’s why Corman’s letter is important. Philadelphia is only one city in the commonwealth, but what happens in Philly doesn’t just stay in Philly. It bleeds over into other parts of the state, with “bleeds” being the operative word.

I was myself a victim of crime on public transportation heading out of the city proper, and that was only a day before another person was raped and abused, while other passengers did nothing to intervene, on a train headed toward the near suburbs.

The House is the only body that could move to impeach Krasner, and they have an obligation to do so. If the voters won’t protect their neighbors from a man who is clearly disinterested in stopping the violence in our streets, either through ideological malice or voting day apathy, it’s up to the legislature to do it.

I applaud Sen. Corman for his initiative and hope the House picks up the baton and does what no one else can do: Get rid of Krasner, once and for all.

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President Joe Biden’s host of initiatives to address drug addiction and overdose is at risk of falling on deaf ears if he does not address the rapid rise in fatalities related to opioid abuse.

With the United States focused on battling COVID-19, new information revealed that over one million drug overdose deaths have occurred since the government began collecting this data in the late 1990s. That same data shows trends continuing in the wrong direction, with overdose deaths for the 12-month period ending in April 2021 over 100,000 for the first time ever. Ending this tragic tide will take greater commitment that the United States has yet to put forth.

Unfortunately, government mandates tend to cast wide nets. In this case, it includes consistent talk that prescription opioids should be lumped into the same category as illegal fentanyl. In 2019, prescription opioids were dispensed at the lowest rate in 14 years. Overdose deaths, however, continued to climb.

According to the CDC, “most of the increases in fentanyl deaths from 2013-2016 did not involve prescription fentanyl but were related to illicitly-made fentanyl that is being mixed with or sold as heroin—with or without the users’ knowledge and increasing as counterfeit pills.” Solely blaming prescription opioids for these woes distorts reality.

Eradicating opioid abuse and these fatalities requires greater expansion of quality treatment programs. Leading medical centers like Johns Hopkins have repeatedly told policymakers that treatment relieves withdrawal and addresses cravings. Even with many of the companies that manufacture legal opioids independently funding treatment and education programs, opioid overdoses are still rising as Mexican drug cartels and Chinese drug smugglers flood the United States with illicit fentanyl. Additional interdiction efforts will be needed to end these trafficking networks.

A glimmer of hope emerged in July 2021 with the announcement of a landmark $26 billion settlement that a bipartisan group of state attorneys general negotiated with three opioid distributors and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. With that deal, states and communities that sign on have the potential to receive billions of dollars to fund recovery, treatment, and prevention programs. As of January 2022, 44 states, D.C. and five territories have fully entered into the agreement providing the “critical mass” needed to move forward with finalizing the settlement.

Although the Keystone State signed onto the deal, it still has some challenges to overcome. In order to access the full allotment of funds available for Pennsylvania, local governments must also agree to participate. Unfortunately, only 75 percent of counties have signed on thus far. A notable holdout is City of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who to date has refused to join the settlement negotiated by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a fellow Democrat. In doing so the Philadelphia D.A. is jeopardizing the $1 billion in hard-fought funds the citizens of the commonwealth are entitled to.

D.A. Krasner, who has been litigating opioid companies since 2018, believes the $5 million to $8 million per year over 18 years ($90-$144 million in total) Philadelphia is projected to receive is inadequate. A holdout like that might prove unwise, considering how unlikely it would be for Philadelphia to negotiate a more robust deal than what was reached by the combined efforts of the majority of state attorneys general.

Further, opting-out would delay access to funds for treatment programs and might mean Philadelphia will ultimately get nothing, should their independent efforts prove unsuccessful. With the majority of Pennsylvania’s drug overdoses occurring in Philadelphia and with that number rising rapidly, especially among African Americans, the city of brotherly love can ill afford to reject such resources.

The opioid epidemic has cost too many American lives. Instead of spending millions of dollars and countless time on lawsuits, the nation needs to expand successful treatment, prevention, and education programs to reduce deaths and help Americans become productive. Now, more than ever, the nation must provide greater attention to saving lives. Opting into this latest lawsuit settlement would be a prudent start.

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Tone-deaf comments by Philadelphia’s progressive DA Larry Krasner sparked a firestorm of criticism.

“We don’t have a crisis of lawlessness, we don’t have a crisis of crime, we don’t have a crisis of violence, and that is a category that includes gun violence. It’s important that we don’t let this become mushy and bleed into the notion that there is some kind of big spike in crime,” Krasner said during a Monday press conference.

There were 523 homicides in Philly as of December 7, breaking a record set in 1990 and up 13 percent over last year.

“In 2021, Philadelphia has set an all-time record for homicides,” former Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan told Delaware Valley Journal. “Claiming the city is not in the middle of a crime spike is reckless and willful blindness. Krasner has anointed himself as the emperor of progressive prosecutors. When it comes to violent crime in Philadelphia, it is time for the city to notice that the emperor wears no clothes.”

Another experienced prosecutor agreed.

“The rapidly rising rate of violent crime in Philadelphia is a direct result of District Attorney Larry Krasner’s soft-on-crime policies, which I fought against every day as U.S. Attorney,” said Bill McSwain, a Republican who is running for governor. “Under Krasner’s leadership, the growing threat of ever-emboldened criminals has left citizens afraid to even leave their homes. For Krasner to deny this growing culture of lawlessness is a slap in the face to every law-abiding Philadelphian. It is time for a leader who will put citizen safety first.”

On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby told Fox News that Krasner, who was reelected in November, has “been getting a free ride for the last couple of years. He blames everybody but his own self. He’s lost 130 employees in that office just since last January.

“A couple of years ago, he was blaming Trump for all the problems. Last year, it was the pandemic and COVID. Now it’s the media. He does everything possible in his power to let people out of jail, to cut sweetheart deals, and now the city’s suffering. He’s ignorant. He’s arrogant. He’s just been doing what he wants to do and now the people are starting to wake up and starting to call him out.”

Even his fellow Democrats are now criticizing Krasner.

Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who served two terms, wrote an editorial in The Philadelphia Inquirer castigating Krasner, saying, “As of Monday night, 521 people, souls, spirits have been vanquished, eliminated, murdered in our City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, the most since 1960. I have to wonder what kind of messed up world of White wokeness Krasner is living in to have so little regard for human lives lost, many of them Black and Brown, while he advances his own national profile as a progressive district attorney.”

And Democratic state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta called on Mayor Jim Kenney and Gov. Tom Wolf to do more to stop the violence in the city, according to The Philadelphia Tribune. Kenyatta is running for the U.S. Senate.

“At the state level, we saw the governor do something similar as it related to the opioid epidemic,” Kenyatta said. “What that did was bring together FEMA, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Health to make sure that folks are working together to stem the crisis. We need to do that right now.”

According to McNesby, the numbers tell the story.

The numbers don’t lie.

“Ag (aggravated) assaults are up. Shootings are up. We’ve had over 2,200 shootings this year. Over 500 homicides. I don’t know where he’s saying Philly is not a violent city. It’s safe to come there. It’s not. So wake up,” said McNesby.

“I think that’s what these Democratic-controlled cities with the progressive D.A.s,” said McNesby. Shoplifters “know nothing’s going to happen, they’re not going to be held accountable. Why not roll the dice and see what you walk out with. Because they know even if they do get caught, they’re likely not to be prosecuted and even if they are, it’s likely they’re going to get nothing but a slap on the wrist. So why not roll the dice?”

The impact is also being felt among the men and women in blue.

“We’re down 600 to 700 officers where people are just resigning, retiring,” said McNesby. “And they’re going to work every day. They’re still taking the guns off the street. They’re still arresting people. And yet they’re being second-guessed by people that are sitting in leadership positions in the City of Philadelphia.”

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