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A George Soros-linked St. Louis prosecutor is facing possible removal from office over “willful neglect of cases.”
Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey released a statement tearing into St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, saying he’s taken steps to remove her from office regarding “years of willful neglect” for the cases she was responsible for prosecuting.
“As Attorney General, I want to protect the people of St. Louis, and that includes ensuring prosecutors protect the public,” said Bailey. “We gave Circuit Attorney Gardner the chance to do the right thing and resign, she has refused to do so, and my office filed a quo warranto at 12:01 PM to remove her from office immediately.”
Bailey’s office said in a press release: “On February 18, 2023, Janae Edmonson, a sixteen-year-old athlete, was walking back to her hotel in downtown St. Louis when she was run down by a speeding vehicle and lost both her legs. One was severed, and the other maimed. Ms. Edmonson survived the crash due to her father’s quick action and emergency medical training, but both of her legs were amputated.”
“The driver of the speeding vehicle, Daniel Riley, should never have been in that car. He is a dangerous gunman who should have been in jail. In 2020, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Riley with First Degree Robbery and Armed Criminal Action for stealing a firearm from a victim at gunpoint. The Circuit Attorney dismissed and refiled that case on July 18, 2022, but not before Riley- who was out on bond- earned 54 separate violations for failing to comply with the pre-trial bond conditions. After the Circuit Attorney refiled the case, Riley earned 50 more violations. The Circuit Attorney never filed a motion to revoke Riley’s bond,” the release added.
“The quo warranto points out that Ms. Edmonson’s injuries are the direct result of years of willful neglect from Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner. As the Circuit Attorney, Respondent is morally, ethically, and legally responsible for the conduct of her office. For years, the Circuit Attorney’s Office has failed to (1) prosecute cases to resolution, (2) has failed to inform and confer with victims, and (3) has failed to even review and file cases submitted by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department,” the release continued.
The petition related by Bailey alleges that “the circuit court has been forced to dismiss more than 2,700 cases, often because of [Gardner’s] inexplicable failure to provide defendants with discovery and a speedy trial” and that her “lack of diligence has forced her office to dismiss more than 9,000 cases — frequently on the cusp of trial — endlessly frustrating courts and victims desperate for justice.”
Bailey argued in the petition that Gardner’s conduct is grounds for the forfeiture of her office, as outlined in the Revised Statutes of Missouri:
“Any person elected or appointed to any county, city, town, or township office in this state, except such officers as may be subject to removal by impeachment, who shall fail personally to devote his time to the performance of the duties of such office, or who shall be guilty of any willful or fraudulent violation or neglect of any official duty, or who shall knowingly or willfully fail or refuse to do or perform any official act or duty which by law it is his duty to do or perform with respect to the execution or enforcement of the criminal laws of the state, shall thereby forfeit his office,” the AG said.
When Gardner first ran for the circuit attorney’s office in 2016, her campaign accepted an in-kind contribution worth $67,693.23 from the Soros-funded Safety and Justice Committee believed to be related to an ad run in support of the candidate, Fox News reported.
Another Soros backed “DA” under fire. This time it’s St Louis Circuit Attny Kimberly Gardner @StLouisCityCA
Dereliction of duty, failing to turn over evidence upon discovery, giving murderers reduced charges. Zero justice for crime victims. https://t.co/3NA6vXc8Uy
— 𝚂𝚊𝚠𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚖 ™️ (@SawyersGhost) April 9, 2023
Many prosecutors across the country have reportedly been elected with the support of groups linked to Soros.
Soros issued a rare statement this week and is attempting to distance himself from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg after former President Donald Trump was indicted on Thursday by a grand jury.
“As for Alvin Bragg, as a matter of fact, I did not contribute to his campaign and I don’t know him,” Soros told Semafor. “I think some on the right would rather focus on far-fetched conspiracy theories than on the serious charges against the former president.”
In May 2021, Soros donated $1 million to the Color of Change PAC, which, shortly after receiving the donation, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars backing Bragg’s campaign.
“Federal Election Commission records show that Soros’ donation was the largest the Color of Change PAC received throughout the 2022 election cycle and ultimately made up roughly 25 percent of the $3.9 million the group hauled in,” Fox News reported.
Soros distances himself from Manhattan DA Bragg after Trump indictment | Fox News https://t.co/4GGk0hJwUN
— Cassis (@cassisnouveau) March 31, 2023
Fox News added:
The financier’s district attorney operation usually involves his longtime treasurer, Whitney Tymas, establishing political action committees in states where he targets the races. Once set up, he injects money into the PACs, which tend to spend at least hundreds of thousands of dollars backing his preferred candidates.
Meanwhile, Soros’ family members did directly back Bragg’s campaign. Soros’ son, Jonathan Soros, and Jonathan’s wife, Jennifer Allan Soros, donated directly to Bragg’s committee, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Jonathan Soros sent a $10,000 check to the now-district attorney’s coffers on April 26, 2021, state filings show. Three days later, on April 29, Jennifer Allan Soros added a $10,000 contribution to the campaign. While other individuals provided more direct cash to his committee, the couple were among the field of some of its biggest donors. The contributions were also uncommon for the pair, as they generally do not get financially involved with district attorney races, though they have donated to other New York political campaigns and issue groups.
