Soros-backed prosecutor Kim Gardner resigns amid pressure from state attorney general
Jack Birle
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St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced Thursday that she is resigning from her position effective June 1.
Gardner announced her resignation in a letter sent to Gov. Mike Parson (R-MO), in which she said it “has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the people of the City of St. Louis.”
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“The most powerful weapon I have to fight back against these outsiders stealing your voices and your rights is to step back. I took this job to serve the people of the City of St. Louis, and that still my North star. And so, it is with a heavy heart but steadfast resolve that I am resigning my position as your Circuit Attorney, effective June 1st,” Gardner said in the letter.
The embattled attorney had been accused of neglecting her duties by Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. He had filed a writ of quo warranto in court and was looking to have her removed from her position via state law.
Bailey had accused Gardner of neglecting her job by taking nursing classes at St. Louis University’s School of Nursing, rather than performing her duties.
After Gardner’s resignation was announced, Bailey criticized her resignation date, saying there is “no reason” for her to remain in office until June 1.
“There is absolutely no reason for the Circuit Attorney to remain in office until June 1. We remain undeterred with our legal quest to forcibly remove her from office. Every day she remains puts the city of St. Louis in more danger. How many victims will there be between now and June 1? How many defendants will have their constitutional rights violated? How many cases will continue to go unprosecuted?” Bailey said in a tweet.
“If the Circuit Attorney wants to be a nurse, she needs to cease pretending to be a prosecuting attorney,” Bailey said Wednesday.
A judge in the Missouri Court of Appeals’ Eastern District had issued several orders earlier Wednesday, which would have compelled Gardner to turn over records relating to her aspirations as a nurse.
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Parson’s office said they had been notified of the resignation and would “approach our duty to appoint a replacement with the utmost seriousness.”
“We will immediately start the replacement process according to the Missouri Constitution and Section 105.050, RSMo. We are committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the City’s criminal justice system,” Parson said in a tweet.