Newsline

National Security , Newsline

Kimberly Gardner was prototype for Soros prosecutors, then ethics and illegality crashed her career

Posted on Friday, November 29, 2024
|
by Outside Contributor
|
9 Comments
|
Print

Former St. Louis prosecutor admits misappropriating funds in failed prosecution of GOP governor that boomeranged against her.

When she was elected chief prosecutor in St. Louis in 2016 with the backing of far-left megadonor George Soros, Kimberly Gardner was the prototype for a new era of progressive lawfare: unabashedly liberal, the first black female to hold the job and eager to make her mark with headline-grabbing cases.

Soon, she went big-game hunting by indicting Missouri’s new Republican governor, a Navy SEAL and rising political star named Eric Greitens, by claiming he tried to blackmail his female hairdresser lover.

There was just one problem: Gardner, a Democrat, never had the evidence to back up her charges in 2018. She managed to force Greitens to resign in disgrace before a court called her bluff and she was forced to dismiss the charges.

62 Acts of Misconduct

As a result, Gardner’s world began unraveling. She was sued by Just the News to provide evidence in the Greitens case and penalized for failing to comply when a judge concluded she “recklessly impeded the judicial process.”

Missouri’s chief legal disciplinary officer accused Gardner of sweeping misconduct in the failed Greitens prosecution, concluding she engaged in 62 acts of misconduct that resulted in 79 false representations during the case.

Her top investigator in the case, a former FBI agent named William Tisaby, would eventually plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of evidence tampering in the case.

Even the basic job of keeping her city safe began to unravel.

A judge freed an accused murderer in St. Louis when prosecutors from Gardner’s office repeatedly missed court proceedings, rebuking her office because it “essentially abandoned its duty to prosecute those it charges with crimes.” 

A young star athlete lost her legs last year when hit by a vehicle driven by a speeding motorist out on bond by Gardner’s office in a pending robbery case, despite having violated the conditions of his release many times, creating outrage.

“A Rudderless Ship of Chaos”

Some of Gardner’s staff began resigning, and judges began to pursue contempt charges against her office for failing to stay on top of basic criminal cases. 

“The Circuit Attorney’s Office appears to be a rudderless ship of chaos,” one judge declared in 2022.

Missouri’s Supreme Court also weighed in with a devastating blow, issuing a public reprimand for Gardner’s conduct in the Greitens case, concluding she violated the ethics requirements of her office. By spring 2023 she was so embattled she resigned from office.

But even resignation didn’t end the extraordinary boomerang from her conduct in the Greitens case. 

A few weeks ago, Gardner admitted in a signed federal court document that she misused public funds to repay herself about $5,000 for penalties she was ordered to pay for her missteps in the Greitens case.

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

Rather than face conviction, she reached a pretrial diversion deal that will spare her federal criminal prosecution if she repays the monies and stays out of trouble for 18 months.

Federal prosecutors found that Gardner directed her employees to issue a series of checks totaling $5,004.33 from the Contingent Fund Account in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office to reimburse her for paying the fees and costs assessed against her personally by the Missouri Supreme Court, according to the diversion agreement she signed.

Under Missouri law, the Contingent Fund was to be used only to pay such expenses for the “proper and vigorous prosecution of the duties of the Circuit Attorney’s Office,” prosecutors alleged. “The diverted funds were deposited in her personal bank account and used for her personal expenses unrelated to her job duties and the operations of the Circuit Attorney’s Office.”

She was investigated by the FBI and will be under the supervision of a pre-trial office until early 2026.

“The agreement follows a thorough investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, during which investigators interviewed all pertinent witnesses and reviewed all available evidence and financial records,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said in announcing the case. “This is a just and fair outcome for a case involving a former official and the misuse of public funds that just met the minimum required under the pertinent federal criminal statute.”

Gardner’s attorney issued a statement saying his client entered into the pretrial diversion program to save the city she once served any more heartache.

“The parties agreed to resolve the matter prior to any criminal action commencing and to spare the district the time and costs associated with defending any claim of criminal wrongdoing,” attorney Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. said.

Greitens said Gardner’s fall from grace and his exoneration were the classic outcomes of a weaponized legal system, when he hopes will come to an end now that Donald Trump has won a new term in the White House he hopes will come to an end now that Donald Trump has won a new term in the White House.

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

Soros’ Prosecutors Failing Nationwide

Gardner’s fall from power matches that of several other Soros-backed prosecutors in major cities. Several have been recalled or defeated at the ballot box by voters frustrated by a surge of crime they oversaw, including most recently Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon.

But Gardner’s flameout was among the most spectacular: She not only lost the trust of her constituents, she was found to have engaged in wrongdoing at multiple 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.”

That report summed up the failures of one of Soros’ first local prosecutors with unvarnished language.

“Ms. Gardner created a toxic office environment, and by the time she resigned from office, only a small number of people remained to conduct the work of the office,” the report reads. “Leading up to her departure, workloads had become untenable, attorneys were suffering from extreme stress and resultant medical issues, and cases were not being prosecuted.

“Ms. Gardner’s repeated failures to abide by her oath of office had severely undermined the criminal justice system, ruining countless lives.”

John Solomon is an award-winning investigative journalist, author and digital media entrepreneur who serves as Chief Executive Officer and Editor in Chief of Just the News. Before founding Just the News,  Solomon played key reporting and executive roles at some of America’s most important journalism institutions, such as The Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Newsweek, The Daily Beast and The Hill.

Reprinted with Permission from Just The News – By John Solomon

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.

Share this article:
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
9 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
David Moon
David Moon
4 days ago

For all you communist sympathizers, you have no idea how many times I’ve been disappointed in the people your candidate has installed as sec. of this or that dept. Can I suggest you consider moving to another country of your choice, turn in your American passport & resign your citizenship from the United States of America. You will be happier and so will we.

Disgusted American Military Veteran
Disgusted American Military Veteran
3 days ago

“I have no further questions for this witness.”
But she did, indeed, “get outta jail free.” She had to pay back $5,004.33? Seems like that’s pretty close to “free” for someone who is (or “was”) an attorney. She SHOULD have been permanently disbarred, at a minimum.
Meanwhile, many “J6ers” are either out on YEARS of probation (for trespassing) or are still in jail awaiting adjudication. Hmm…

David Millikan
David Millikan
2 days ago

All of Soros prosecutor’s are criminals.

Calvin Grubbs
Calvin Grubbs
2 days ago

Seems to happen with many women of color placed in positions they are wholly unqualified for.

Marie Saqueton
Marie Saqueton
3 days ago

So, can we see more Soros backed prosecutors investigated, especially those who went after Pres. Trump? Because as we followed the reports, it seems that Pres. Trump was targeted to make him lose the election. He spent millions too to defend himself and his family. Will he be reimbursed for all his expenses?

Shell
Shell
3 days ago

This all sounds like Fulton county Ga Fanni Willis, Kamala Harris, while AG in CA, AG/NY Latitia James and a myriad of others, mostly black…sad..bought by a slick, old, white man.

David Millikan
David Millikan
2 days ago

Dictator Beijing biden Pardons Hunter after lying saying he wouldn’t.

Jill and Joe Biden walking; Hunter Biden crime
american patriotism;
Tariff Stamp on United States Capitol. Tariff stamp effect on United States Capitol Building

Stay informed! Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter.

"*" indicates required fields

9
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x

Subscribe to AMAC Daily News and Games