Progressive DA's authority stripped, diverted to new position due to failed ‘liberal, woke’ policies

Philadelphia’s progressive district attorney, Larry Krasner, had some of his authority stripped and diverted to a new prosecutorial position due to his failed “liberal, woke” policies, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Last week, Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law Senate Bill 140, which creates a new special prosecutor role for mass transit. According to the measure, the special prosecutor has the power to “investigate and institute criminal proceedings for a violation of the laws of this Commonwealth occurring within a public transportation authority.”

“The special prosecutor’s prosecutorial jurisdiction shall include the power and independent authority to exercise all investigative and prosecutorial functions and powers of an office of the district attorney,” the bill added.

It enables the special prosecutor to choose whether to pursue crimes committed on the city’s public transit system, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Crimes not prosecuted will go to Krasner’s office.

Krasner, a Democrat, called the measure unconstitutional and an “attack on democracy.”

“This is normalizing the erasure of Philadelphia votes. This is what people who want to be dictators do,” Krasner stated during a news conference last week.

Republican state Senator Wayne Langerholc, the bill’s primary sponsor, dismissed claims that the legislation would diminish Krasner’s authority. He noted that the DA’s “liberal, woke” policies failed to prosecute many serious criminal activities, including violent offenses.

Wayne’s bill passed through the House with a 159-44 vote, receiving bipartisan support.

“This is about safety, pure and simple,” Langerholc said. “It’s another tool for law enforcement on SEPTA. The district attorney should be welcoming this with open arms, because he’s getting additional resources.”

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry has 30 days to fill the new special prosecutor position. To be eligible for the position, the candidate cannot have worked for the AG’s or the DA’s office in the past six years.

Brett Hambright, a spokesman for the AG, said that the office is “in the process of reviewing this newly passed legislation in order to fully understand the parameters of the jurisdictional complexities, what the office’s responsibilities will be under the law, and how the funding will occur.”

Last year, the House voted 107-85 to impeach Krasner, claiming he engaged in misconduct and obstructed an investigation.

“They have impeached me without presenting a single shred of evidence connecting our policies to any uptick in crime. We were never given the opportunity to defend our ideas and policies – policies I would have been proud to explain. That Pennsylvania Republicans willfully avoided hearing the facts about my office is shameful,” Krasner stated in November 2022. The Senate trial has been postponed while a state supreme court lawsuit is pending.

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