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Judge referring Trump-hating Philadelphia district attorney to DOJ for criminal investigation is poetic justice

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Tremoglie, C. (2026, September 17). Judge referring Trump-hating Philadelphia district attorney to DOJ for criminal investigation is poetic justice. Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/4731132/judge-referring-philadelphia-district-attorney-larry-krasner-doj-poetic-justice/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Washington Examiner · collected 2026-09-17 · by Christopher Tremoglie

Quick Summary

U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and a legal assistant to the Department of Justice for investigation into possible criminal activity, including obstruction of justice and perjury. The referral stems from Krasner’s alleged involvement in attempting to overturn a murder conviction through what Diamond deemed false narratives and illegal tactics. This decision came shortly after Krasner accused President Trump of bribery, highlighting a stark contrast between the perceived factual basis of Diamond's claims against Krasner versus Krasner’s accusations toward Trump.
Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond issued a scathing rebuke of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Tuesday, alleging that Krasner might have violated the law by engaging in shady legal tactics while attempting to overturn a murder conviction from 2009. The judge's criticism includes accusations of obstruction of justice and perjury against both Krasner and an assistant in his office. This development follows Krasner’s public allegations that President Trump is a 35-time felon, suggesting the referral by Judge Diamond to the Department of Justice for a criminal investigation could be seen as poetic justice.

Since taking office, Krasner, known for his radical left-wing stance and support from George Soros, has faced significant criticism. In June last year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found Krasner’s office guilty of misleading filings to undermine murder cases and other convictions. Critics argue that Krasner's soft-on-crime policies have contributed to a record number of homicides in Philadelphia, with many attributing the spike in murders to his actions.

Krasner previously worked as a second public defender for the city, advocating strongly against prosecution and incarceration. He has been vocal about perceived racism within the criminal justice system but also controversially vowed to arrest FBI agents and "hunt down" ICE officers, stances that delighted his political base on the far left.

Written for “Trump Justice Backlash” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump Justice Backlash
Politics · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 13% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 4 of 34 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 5 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different events involving distinct individuals: Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and former Trump staffer Michael Caputo.”
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 70/100
“Article A describes Krasner's accusation of Trump regarding a $5,000 dividend check, while Article B discusses Judge Diamond referring Krasner to DOJ for a criminal investigation due to alleged legal violations.”
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 3 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles refer to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner being referred for a criminal investigation, Article A specifies it happened on Tuesday and was about overturning a murder conviction from 2009, while Article B does not specify the exact timing or the specific case.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
47
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
13%
6 of 47 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
70/100
Washington Examiner's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Washington Examiner · 3986 article(s) · 7 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 7 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Christopher Tremoglie
18 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Tucker Carlson issued a dire warning on Sunday night, claiming that the United States could be only days away from launching a nuclear strike on Iran.
🔮 So I went undercover, using an alias, dressed up as a left-wing activist (or as close to one as I could envision, anyway), and infiltrated them both.
🔮 He allegedly went so far as to tell a black female police officer that if she had been the one who responded, he wouldn’t have shot her and instead “would have just had a conversation.”
🔮 She will officially receive the award at a ceremony on Dec. 10.
🔮 She will officially receive the award at a ceremony on Dec. 10.
🔮 “One is that crude oil exploration and extraction have been hindered, tightening the overall crude oil market relative to what it would have been.
🔮 It is, objectively, everything any citizen of this country could ever ask for from a president.
🔮 “Before they put you on the field, teams poke, prod, and examine you, searching for any defect that might affect your performance.
🔮 Real America’s Voice will make a substantial investment in its entertainment venture, with the goal of changing the television and entertainment landscape as we currently know it.
🔮 It was May 2024 when the Democratic Party showed Lindy Li what it truly thought of her.
Also by Christopher Tremoglie
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
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Topics

Court Law Division Philadelphia U.S. the Department of Justice

Subjects

Krasner PERSON · 20× Diamond PERSON · 9× Philadelphia GPE · 7× Stiegler PERSON · 3× Trump PERSON · 3× Court ORG · 2× U.S. GPE · 2× White PERSON · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Soros PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Since Krasner’s been in office, Philadelphia has set a record for homicides in a year, with many criminal experts attributing the spike in murders to Krasner’s soft-on-crime policies, which left many violent criminals roaming the streets and plaguing innocent victims in communities throughout the city, instead of keeping them in jail.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17
🔮 U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond issued a scathing rebuke of Krasner on Tuesday, claiming that the district attorney might have violated the law while allegedly engaging in shady legal tactics in working to overturn the murder conviction from 2009.

Claims (47 extracted, 6 hedged)

What happens when a Trump-hating, Soros-funded, radical left-wing district attorney insinuates that President Donald Trump is a 35-time felon? asserted
Trump → happen → ?
Well, if you are Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, you get referred to the Department of Justice by a federal judge for a criminal investigation. asserted
you → refer → investigation
U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond issued a scathing rebuke of Krasner on Tuesday, claiming that the district attorney might have violated the law while allegedly engaging in shady legal tactics in working to overturn the murder conviction from 2009. uncertain
attorney → issue → 2009
Among the alleged violations by Krasner and a legal assistant in his office are obstruction of justice and perjury, among others. asserted
obstruction → allege → others
The referral comes less than a week after Krasner made his own allegations of ethical violations about Trump, suggesting that his proposal of a $5,000 dividend check should be considered a felonious charge of bribery. asserted
proposal → come → bribery
However, unlike Krasner’s politically motivated, unhinged rants about Trump, the Philadelphia district attorney’s alleged crimes appear to be rather serious and, most importantly, factual in assessment. asserted
crimes → motivate → assessment
Unlike Krasner’s accusations, Diamond’s assertions seem grounded in truth. asserted
assertions → seem → truth
“Mr. Krasner’s actions are more troubling,” Diamond wrote in a memorandum for Dennis Johnson v. Scott Nickelson, et al. asserted
Diamond → write → Nickelson
“He did not simply learn of the Stiegler proposal; he urged the Law Division supervisors — who serve at Mr. Krasner’s pleasure — to implement it and to present a false narrative to the Court.” asserted
who → learn → Court
“Finally, I have also found that Mr. Krasner and Stiegler worked together to try to convince the Four to urge the Court to accept a false narrative,” wrote Diamond. asserted
Diamond → find → narrative
“This might amount to criminal conspiracy.” uncertain
This → amount → conspiracy
“In these circumstances, with the issuance of this Memorandum, I refer the DAO, Mr. Krasner, and Stiegler to this District’s United States Attorney’s Office for investigation and other appropriate action,” Diamond wrote. asserted
Diamond → refer → investigation
It’s as if one of Krasner’s core political tactics is the “accusation in a mirror” technique, broken down in layman’s terms simply as “accusing your enemy of what you are doing, as you are doing it.” asserted
you → ’ → it
The maxim epitomizes what Krasner did in the last week, and arguably, what he’s been doing since he was first elected in 2017. asserted
he → epitomize → 2017
Legendary Philadelphia-area attorney and columnist Christine Flowers recognized the gravity of Diamond’s memo. asserted
Flowers → recognize → memo
She called Diamond’s assessment of Krasner’s conduct “real” and not politically motivated, and said Diamond “plays it straight,” citing her own courtroom experience with him. asserted
Diamond → call → him
“This is real, not a political hit job, as Krasner wants us to believe,” Flowers told the Washington Examiner. asserted
Flowers → want → Examiner
“Judge Diamond, the federal judge who referred the corruption case to the U.S. Attorney, is old school and bipartisan. asserted
who → refer → Attorney
He plays it straight: he even denied one of my Habeas petitions (fairly, even though I was disappointed) because he’s all about the correct process. asserted
he → play → process
If he thinks there is evidence Krasner conspired to wrongly retry a convicted felon, that’s serious. asserted
that → think → felon
Krasner has long drawn the ire of many in the Philadelphia area, particularly over his radical left-wing ideologies and criminal justice reform policies. asserted
Krasner → draw → ideologies
Since Krasner’s been in office, Philadelphia has set a record for homicides in a year, with many criminal experts attributing the spike in murders to Krasner’s soft-on-crime policies, which left many violent criminals roaming the streets and plaguing innocent victims in communities throughout the city, instead of keeping them in jail. asserted
which → set → jail
Pennsylvania state Rep. Martina White has been a longtime, ardent critic of Krasner and his policies, regularly highlighting how they made the city less safe and endangered the lives of innocent people. asserted
city → highlight → people
White called for Krasner to resign amid Diamond’s referral to the Justice Department. asserted
Krasner → call → Department
“Philadelphia’s district attorney is supposed to prosecute criminal allegations, not star in them,” White told me. asserted
White → suppose → me
“Apparently, that’s too much to ask. asserted
that → ’ → ?
Philadelphia needs a reliable DA, not a defendant-in-waiting. asserted
Philadelphia → need → waiting
He should do the city a favor by resigning and letting the grown-ups get back to protecting public safety.” asserted
ups → do → safety
It is well known that Krasner has regularly engaged in fearmongering rhetoric in Philadelphia to vilify Trump and his administration. asserted
Krasner → know → Trump
He has held multiple press conferences and made numerous statements warning Philadelphians that he would “protect” them from the Trump administration. asserted
he → hold → administration
Over the last year, Krasner has regularly deployed scare tactics to threaten Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, threatening to “hunt them” and arrest them. asserted
Krasner → deploy → them
He vilified the president and portrayed him as the root of most of American society’s problems. asserted
He → vilify → problems
Yet, this time, with Diamond’s referral, Krasner cannot blame Trump. asserted
Krasner → blame → Trump
He’ll clearly try, but it’s dishonest. asserted
it → try → ?
“The fact that a federal judge feels it appropriate to refer this to the U.S. Attorney in this climate is consequential,” Flowers said. asserted
Flowers → feel → climate
“Of course, a Justice may not indict. uncertain
Justice → indict → ?
But this will have a definite psychological impact on Krasner. asserted
this → have → Krasner
He always rails against ‘Trump the Bogeyman.’ asserted
He → rail → Trump
He tries to make criticism of him all about ‘MAGA.’ asserted
criticism → try → MAGA
But he can’t do it this time.” asserted
he → do → it
…and 7 more, not listed.
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