Judge refers Philadelphia district attorney to federal prosecutors for investigation

The judge said “troubling” activity was uncovered during recent evidentiary hearings into how the DA’s office handled a post-conviction case.

Associated Press

September 15, 2026 at 8:00 PM EDT

FILE – Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner joins immigrant rights supporters as they demonstrate during a May Day rally outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, May 1, 2025.

FILE – Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner joins immigrant rights supporters as they demonstrate during a May Day rally outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, May 1, 2025.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday for investigation into whether he broke the law while overseeing a post-conviction case.

U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond disqualified Krasner and Assistant DA Matthew Stiegler from participating in the case involving Dennis Johnson, who is seeking to have his second-degree murder conviction overturned.

Diamond also took the unusual step of recommending that the DOJ investigate whether Krasner committed any crimes, including perjury and obstruction of justice, according to court documents.

In a memorandum referring the matter for “investigation and other appropriate action” the judge said “troubling” activity by Krasner and Stiegler was uncovered during recent evidentiary hearings into how the DA’s office handled the Johnson case.

That included allegedly pressuring staffers to lie to Diamond in court and threatening “consequences” for those who did not follow Krasner’s orders, the judge wrote.

“I have thus reluctantly concluded that Philadelphia’s highest law enforcement official and one of his top assistants may have violated the law,” Diamond said.

Krasner said in a statement that he “respectfully and vigorously” disagrees with the decision.

“I look forward to appealing to the higher court as soon as the law allows,” Krasner said, adding that he could not comment further because the case is pending.

Stiegler did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania also did not immediately reply to inquiries seeking details about the potential investigation.

Johnson was convicted in 2009 of killing Kenyatta Smith. In 2022 the DA’s office made a court filing stating that Johnson was entitled to habeas relief based on ineffective assistance of counsel.

Court documents show that DA employees told Krasner the case should be directed to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office due to potential conflicts of interest involving Stiegler. Krasner opposed the move, saying he needed to stay involved to “protect the office,” according to the documents.

Johnson’s petition remains on hold. Diamond said the DA’s office could continue to handle the case moving forward, but it is not immediately clear which prosecutor might take it on.

https://www.mainlinemedianews.com/2026/09/15/philadelphia-district-attorney/

Most House Democrats vote to advance Trump impeachment

The resolution from Texas Rep. Al Green still failed after top Democratic leaders voted to sideline the measure.

Riley Rogerson

RILEY ROGERSON

09/15/2026, 5:03PM ET

A large majority of House Democrats declined to follow their leaders in voting to reject an impeachment resolution targeting President Donald Trump over his immigration enforcement policies.

The 232-147 vote to kill the measure introduced by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was much narrower than a June 2025 vote on a different impeachment measure brought by Green, where 128 Democrats joined with 216 Republicans to set it aside.

This time, only 18 Democrats joined the 213 Republicans voting to table, with another 46 Democrats voting present — among them, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the No. 2 and No. 3 party leaders, Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California.

The vote signals a limited appetite among Democrats to look past the president’s controversies even after the leaders suggested impeachment represented a distraction ahead of the November midterms.

Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar said in a Monday statement that impeachment is a “sacred constitutional vehicle” that “traditionally requires a comprehensive investigative process” that had not taken place.

“This is something, oftentimes, I think the right-wing media wants us to talk about, but it’s not anything that is top of the agenda for House Democrats,” Aguilar told reporters about impeachment before the vote.

Joining the three Democratic leaders in voting “present” was Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who introduced a separate impeachment resolution Tuesday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The House twice voted to impeach Trump when it was under Democratic control in his first term. He was acquitted by the GOP-controlled Senate both times.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/09/15/congress/house-democratic-impeachment-vote-01078055

Two House Democrats defect again on key vote for Trump agenda

Sarah Ferris, CNN

Tue, September 15, 2026 at 7:47 PM EDT

House Democrats are fuming after a pair of centrist members onceagain defied their party leaders by voting to help advance a key White House priority — the second time in recent weeks.

The frustrations at those two Democrats — in particular, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who is seeking reelection in a battleground seat — are so high that they led to a confrontation on the House floor Tuesday evening between the Washington congresswoman and a top party leader, according to a person familiar with the exchange.

Rep. Katherine Clark, the No. 2 House Democrat and party whip, appeared to raise her voice in an intense conversation on the floor with Gluesenkamp Perez shortly after the vote, that person said.(The other Democratic defector, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, is retiring after his term and has faced less party blowback.)

The vote the two Democrats defected on is known as a rule vote. Typically, members of the minority party stick together to oppose these kind of procedural votes, which the majority party needs to bring bills to the floor.

Democrats are particularly irate given that one of the bills that can now be brought to the floor is a Russian sanctions bill that President Donald Trump himself has championed. The White House has made it such a high priority that some in the administration privately reached out to at least one House Democratic centrist, attempting to convince that member to support the GOP procedural vote in exchange for a community project back home, that member told CNN. That member ultimately opposed the GOP procedural vote.

While some Democrats support the Russia sanctions bill, they said they were not willing to back a GOP rule — and cross party leadership — to get that result.

"I'm proud to represent one of the largest Ukrainian communities in America — people who have lost fathers, mothers, sons and daughters in the fight to defeat fascism," Gluesenkamp Perez said on X, adding, "My vote today gets us one step closer to enacting these sanctions into law and I look forward to voting tomorrow to cut off the flow of Russian oil money fueling this war."

The decision by the two Democrats to once again flout their leadership has quickly resurfaced a complicated debate about party discipline within the caucus. Democrats had already been discussing ways to punish members who oppose the party on key procedural votes after the last episode. Now, in the final week of session before the midterms, those conversations are quickly heating up.

Another top Democrat, Rep. Pete Aguilar, later called out the two defectors and said their caucus would discuss potential punishments for the members.

Asked about enforcing party discipline, he said, "We'll have some conversations as a family, and we'll go from there."

And he issued a terse warning to fellow Democrats about the behavior: "That's not what we should be doing."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/two-house-democrats-defect-again-222238389.html