PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 26, 2022) – District Attorney Larry Krasner on Monday issued the following statement after meeting with the Philadelphia Delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representations to discuss the District Attorney’s Office’s legal responses to the PA House GOP-led effort to remove the DA from office:
“Today, my office met with members of the Philadelphia Delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to fully explain our responses to the PA House GOP-led impeachment effort, which include a lawsuit filed by my office on September 2nd in Commonwealth Court. I thank Delegation Chair Rep. Jason Dawkins and members of the Philly Delegation for their time and for the opportunity to answer their questions, and for all they do every day to advocate for Philadelphians in Harrisburg.
“I have now stated my position on the PA GOP impeachment effort directly to the Select Committee, including through a lawsuit filed in court; to the public, through the press; and to members of the Philadelphia House Delegation and caucus leadership. That position is this: The Select Committee was convened for the express purpose of overturning an election that Pennsylvania Republicans could not win. I am not accused of official or criminal misconduct – unlike several other county DAs in Pennsylvania in recent years – yet my office is being targeted by the Select Committee over policies and politics, which has never before happened in the storied history of this Commonwealth.
“I also explained to the Philly Delegation that my office did not ‘ignore’ the Select Committee’s subpoenas; in fact, we filed a detailed response to the Committee’s subpoenas outlining our legal objections to subpoenaing grand jury materials related to a pending murder trial. And again, we had at the time of the contempt vote already filed a petition seeking clarity on the subpoenas in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, which is the appropriate venue for this legal dispute to be settled as outlined by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
“I am eager to move forward with a united effort to protect democracy in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, and fight a bad faith, unconstitutional attempt to overturn the 2021 election over my office’s policies of evenly applied and equal accountability for all who criminally cause harm to our communities. I continue to stand with the Philly Delegation’s leadership as they fight relentlessly to pass gun safety laws, which the House GOP majority never even allow to get to a floor vote; as well as for the investments in public education, public health, and community safety that all counties in the Commonwealth need and deserve.
“I also reiterate my request for the Select Committee to hold hearings scheduled this week to a location that is actually accessible to Philadelphia voters and to allow me, the target of their inquiry, the opportunity to speak and answer their questions in public.”
The DAO’s lawsuit and other non-privileged responses to the Select Committee are available online: https://linktr.ee/phillydalarrykrasner.
CONTACT:Jane Roh, 215-686-8711, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.