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Kimberly Gardner was the prototype of Soros prosecutors, then ethics and legalism ruined her career

Kimberly Gardner was the prototype of Soros prosecutors, then ethics and legalism ruined her career

St. Louis in 2016 with the support of far-left megadonor George Soros. When she was elected attorney general in St. Louis, Kimberly Gardner was the prototype of a new era in progressive jurisprudence: unabashedly liberal, the first black woman to hold the job, and making a name for herself with eager headline-grabbing cases.

Soon, Missouri’s new Republican governor went on the big hunt, accusing Navy SEAL and rising political star Eric Greitens of allegedly trying to blackmail his female hairdresser lover.

There was just one problem: Gardner, a Democrat, had no evidence to support his accusations in 2018. He managed to force Greitens to resign in disgrace before the court called his bluff and he was forced to deny the charges.

62 acts of misconduct

As a result, Gardner’s world began to unravel. A lawsuit was filed by Just News Providing evidence in the Greitens case and being punished for failure to comply a judge found he “recklessly obstructed” Due process.”

Missouri’s chief legal officer Disciplinary officer accused Gardner of extensive misconduct In the unsuccessful Greitens case, he concluded that he had engaged in 62 acts of misconduct resulting in 79 misrepresentations during the trial.

His lead investigator on the case, William Tisaby, a former FBI agent, would eventually plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of tampering with evidence in the case.

Even the basic job of keeping your city safe is starting to unravel.

St. A judge in St. Louis released an accused murderer after prosecutors in Gardner’s office repeatedly missed court hearings. scold your office because “he essentially abandoned his duty to prosecute those he accused of crimes.”

A young star athlete lost his legs when he was hit by a speeding driver outside Gardner’s office last year, despite violating the conditions of his release multiple times and sparking outrage.

“A rudderless ship of chaos”

Some of Gardner’s staff began to resign, and judges began pursuing contempt charges against his office for failing to pursue key criminal cases.

“The Circuit Attorney’s Office looks like a rudderless ship of chaos” the judge explained In 2022.

The Missouri Supreme Court also dealt a devastating blow by issuing a public reprimand for Gardner’s conduct in the Greitens case, finding that he violated his office’s ethics rules. By the spring of 2023, he was in such a difficult situation that resigned from office.

But even his resignation did not end his extraordinary boomerang in the Greitens case.

A few weeks ago, Gardner admitted in a signed federal court document that he misused public funds to pay himself nearly $5,000 in fines he was ordered to pay for his missteps in the Greitens case.

Federal prosecutors said in the document he signed that they had enough evidence to charge him with a federal crime for misuse of public funds.

Rather than face conviction, he reached a pretrial diversionary agreement that would avoid federal criminal prosecution if he paid back the money and stayed out of trouble for 18 months.

Federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit against Gardner’s employees in St. Louis for reimbursement of fees and expenses assessed against him personally by the Missouri Supreme Court. It found that he directed them to issue a series of checks totaling $5,004.33 from the Contingent Fund Account at the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. diversion agreement he signed.

You can read the full agreement here.

Prosecutors argued that under Missouri law, the Contingent Fund would be used to pay such expenses only for the “proper and effective discharge of the duties of the Circuit Attorney’s Office.” “The managed funds were deposited into his personal bank account and used for his job duties and personal expenses unrelated to the activities of the District Attorney’s Office.”

He was investigated by the FBI and will be under the supervision of a pretrial office until early 2026.

“The settlement follows an extensive investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, in which investigators interviewed all relevant witnesses and reviewed all available evidence and financial records,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said in announcing the case. “This is a fair and just outcome for a case involving a former official and the misuse of public funds that meets the minimum required by applicable federal criminal law.”

Gardner’s attorney released a statement saying his client entered the pre-trial diversion program to save the city he once served from further heartache.

“The parties agreed to resolve the matter before any criminal proceedings begin and to spare the district the time and cost associated with defending a criminal wrongdoing claim,” attorney Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. said.

Greitens said Gardner’s disgrace and acquittal are classic consequences of a weaponized legal system, which he hopes will end with Donald Trump winning a new term in the White House. Trump won a new term in the White House.

“I’m grateful to have been cleared, and I’m grateful to the country that the truth about Soros-funded prosecutors is now out,” he said. Just News. “America can now leave the rule of law behind and return to the rule of law.”

Soros’ prosecutors fail nationwide

Gardner’s fall from power, A few more Soros-backed prosecutors in big cities. Many of them, including most recently Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, have been recalled or defeated at the ballot box by voters frustrated by the crime spike they oversaw.

But Gardner’s outrage was one of the most notable: Not only did he lose the trust of his constituents, but he was also revealed to have been involved in wrongdoing at various levels of the legal system. The failures even led Missouri GOP Attorney General Andrew Bailey to issue a lessons learned report known as the “Kim Gardner Report.”

You can read that report here.

This report summarized in plain language the failures of one of Soros’s first local prosecutors.

“Woman. Gardner created a toxic office environment, and when he resigned, only a small number of people were left to run the office,” the report reads. “Prior to his departure, workloads had become unbearable, attorneys were suffering from extreme stress and resulting medical problems, and cases were not being prosecuted.

“Woman. “Gardner’s failure to abide by his oath of office severely weakened the criminal justice system and destroyed countless lives.”