Krasner Looks To Ease Concerns Of Police, Prosecutors Who See Him As Enemy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- After police union and prosecutor push-back on his nomination for district attorney, Lawrence Krasner defended himself as a fan of law enforcement and advocate for victims at a press briefing on Wednesday.
Despite his decisive margin of victory, Krasner was beseiged almost immediately by accusations of being soft on crime, anti-police and anti-prosecutor. He disputed the claims -- with a caveat.
"I'm an enormous fan of the good people in the District Attorney's Office who care about justice just as deeply as I (do)," Krasner said.
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He declined to criticize supporters who chanted anti-FOP slogans election night, saying while he may not agree with them, the First Amendment is very important.
"Donald Trump is not a big fan of free speech," Krasner said.
Yes, President Trump came up very quickly, perhaps not surprisingly, since anti-Trump backlash is seen as factor in Krasner's victory, something he sees as a trend.
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"Other progressive DA's who've been elected across the country as part of this wave," he said, "and it is a wave."
Krasner attributed outspoken criticism from the police union to their being upset that their endorsed candidate didn't win and said he'd be happy to meet with them. He also praised the assistant district attorney's, saying many have reached out to congratulate him.
"There are really good people in that office," he said, "and really good people want things to be better there."
Krasner faces republican Beth Grossman in November.
