Missouri's chief legal disciplinary officer accused St. Louis' top prosecutor of sweeping misconduct in the failed prosecution of former Gov. Eric Greitens, saying she lied to judges in court filings and testimony, withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense, misled her own prosecution team and violated the constitutional right to a fair trial.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, one of the early local prosecutors bankrolled by liberal megadonor George Soros since 2016, engaged in 62 acts of misconduct that resulted in 79 false representations during Greitens' now-dismissed criminal prosecution, according to Chief Disciplinary Counsel Alan Pratzel's memo obtained Wednesday by Just the News.
The disciplinary action against Gardner follows the 2019 indictment of her former chief investigator in the case, ex-FBI agent William Tisaby, on seven felonies alleging he committed perjury and evidence tampering during the Greitens probe.
The unraveling of the criminal case was highlighted in a Just the News investigative report last year, prompting some to compare Gardner's actions to the FBI's now-confirmed misconduct during the pursuit of then-President Donald Trump during the Russia collusion probe.
Gardner, St. Louis' first black chief prosecutor, filed an initial response to the allegations, suggesting race and politics were involved in the disciplinary action but acknowledging she made mistakes in the Greitens prosecution.
"In hindsight, were each and every one of Ms. Gardner's actions in the intense, fast-paced Greitens investigation and prosecution perfect? No, but that is not the measure or purpose of the attorney discipline," her legal team wrote.
Gardner has been the object of frequent controversy and criticism, including as the focus of an ongoing special prosecutor's criminal investigation in the Greitens case, and was recently removed by a court in the prosecution of a St. Louis couple accused of brandishing weapons during last year's Black Lives Matter protests.
Thursday, May 6, 2021
Investigation finds massive wrongdoing by prosecutor in case against ex-Missouri governor
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