St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, a George Soros-bankrolled prosecutor, has resigned amid growing legal and bipartisan pressure for her to step down for allegedly neglecting her duties.
Gardner, who is one of the first progressive prosecutors backed by Soros, announced her resignation via Twitter on Thursday, effective June 1.
— Circuit Attorney (@stlcao) May 4, 2023
Gardner’s office has faced mounting criticism for mishandling cases and a dysfunctional working environment.
However, the final straw came in February when a teenage volleyball player visiting St. Louis with her team was hit by a car and lost both of her legs. The man charged in the crash was out on bond awaiting trial for a separate armed robbery case despite violating the terms of his bond.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney and Soros lackey, Kimberly Gardner, the city's top prosecutor, is finally stepping down following repeated, bipartisan calls for her resignation from officials across Missouri sick of her treachery. https://t.co/1RiQ6bxGq7
— 🇺🇸Lionel🇺🇸 (@LionelMedia) May 4, 2023
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a petition quo warranto, a legal mechanism under state statute that allows the attorney general to remove a prosecutor who neglects the job’s duties.
Bailey claims that nearly 12,000 criminal cases have been dismissed due to what he calls Gardner’s failures.
He also says that more than 9,000 cases have been thrown out as they had been about to go to trial, forcing judges to dismiss more than 2,000 cases due to what Bailey described as a failure to provide defendants with evidence and speedy trials.
Despite Gardner’s resignation, Bailey is unsatisfied and is calling on her to leave office immediately rather than wait until the end of the month.
He believes that every day she remains in office puts the city of St. Louis in more danger.
Gardner had refused to leave office for months, calling Bailey’s efforts a political “witch hunt” and a form of “voter suppression.” She also suggested that racism and sexism are behind some of the criticism against her.
Gardner’s tenure was riddled with allegations of misconduct and mishandled cases long before her latest legal issues.
In one case, she was publicly reprimanded and fined by the Missouri Supreme Court. She has also been criticized for her soft-on-crime policies by her detractors.
Several assistant prosecutors have recently resigned from Gardner’s understaffed office, which has suffered persistent personnel issues creating low morale and a dysfunctional working environment.
