Soros-backed prosecutor mired in scandal resigns from office
A prosecutor who was backed by George Soros and worked in St. Louis has resigned amid legal efforts to remove her from her position. The Missouri attorney general had been attempting to do so for allegedly failing her duties.
Kimberly Gardner is the top prosecutor in St. Louis. She has been asked to resign by officials from all over the state.
Gardner’s office posted a tweet of her resignation letter addressed to St. Louis residents.
Gardner was one of the progressive prosecutors that Soros, a liberal millionaire and Democrat megadonor, backed in 2016, and again in 2020 for her reelection. Last month, she announced that she would run for a third term. Her resignation takes effect on June 1.
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Gardner’s office, for years, has been criticized for its inability to handle cases properly and the dysfunction of their office. In February, a teenager volleyball player who was visiting St. Louis on behalf of her team and had been struck by a vehicle lost both her legs. This was the final straw for Missouri Attorney-General Andrew Bailey.
In the accident, a man was charged with assault, armed criminal activity and driving a vehicle without a license. The man was on bail awaiting trial in a separate case of armed robbery despite having violated the terms of bond more than a dozen times.
Gardner claimed that although her office tried to place the suspect in jail, a judge denied their request. According to local reports, however, there is no record of her office – which is responsible for monitoring the compliance with bond terms and revoking those conditions when they are violated – asking to have his bond revoked.
Bailey, in the wake of this incident, filed a petition for quo warranto. This is the legal mechanism that, under the state statute, allows the Attorney General to remove a prosecutor if they neglect their duties.
Bailey says that Gardner’s failures have led to the dismissal of nearly 12,000 criminal charges. Bailey also claims that more than 9000 cases were thrown out just before they went to trial. This forced judges to dismiss over 2,000 cases because of what Bailey called a failure by Gardner to provide defendants evidence and to speed up trials.
Bailey, who was not satisfied with Gardner’s resignation released a statement in which he called on her to quit immediately, rather than waiting until the end the month.
He said, “There’s no reason why the circuit attorney should remain in office beyond June 1.” “We are not deterred in our quest to remove her forcibly from office. Each day that she is in office, the city of St. Louis becomes more dangerous. How many victims are there between now and the 1st of June? How many constitutional rights will be violated by defendants? “How many cases will remain unprosecuted?”
Gardner refused to resign for months and called Bailey’s efforts “a witch hunt” and “a form of voter suppression.” She suggested racism and sexism were behind some of her critics.
A St. Louis Judge had tentatively set the trial date of Sept. 25, to hear arguments on both sides.
Gardner’s office faces two contempt proceedings after prosecutors missed multiple court dates. In one contempt proceeding, a Missouri court said Gardner showed “complete disregard and indifference for the judicial system” and called her offices a “rudderless boat of chaos.”
It is unclear whether the contempt proceedings will be dropped.
Garner’s understaffed office has seen several assistant prosecutors resign recently. The office has suffered from persistent personnel problems, resulting in low morale and an unhealthy working environment.
Gardner’s tenure had been plagued with accusations of misconduct and cases mishandled long before she faced her current legal issues. In one instance, the Missouri Supreme Court publicly reprimanded her and fined her.
Gardner’s policies have been criticized for being too lenient on crime.
Gardner was St. Louis’ first Black chief prosecutor. Fox News Digital reached out to Gardner’s office for a comment.
