ST. LOUIS — Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner lashed out at her critics and defended her record in comments Friday, one day after announcing her imminent resignation in the face of ballooning scandals that threatened to consume her office.
Surrounded by supporters, Gardner cast herself as a reformer who tried to hold police officers accountable and offer second chances to deserving defendants — and incurred the wrath of racist, reactionary political and legal establishments as a result.
“It’s just sad how every side is against me,†she said.
Gardner, the city's first Black circuit attorney, chalked it up to a sinister effort to dismantle Black political power and fears that a new approach would take money away from people who depend on the arrest, detention and prosecution of Black people.
“There are a lot of jobs that get affected when we actually streamline the people we need to focus on and the people that we can give an opportunity and still be about public safety,†she said.
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Critics of Gardner have long cast such allegations as attempts to deflect from real issues in her office. She has hemorrhaged attorneys, who now number about a third of what she had when she first took office. They in turn have struggled to review charges, resulting in a backlog of thousands of cases.
She has also been reprimanded by the state Supreme Court for ethical lapses, and criticized by local judges for failing to turn over evidence to defense attorneys as required by law.
And this year, even allies expressed concern in February when an out-of-town volleyball player was severely injured in a crash downtown and it was revealed that the the man charged in the incident was free on bond in a pending robbery case despite violating the conditions of his GPS monitor dozens of times. That incident prompted the state attorney general to file suit seeking to remove her. It also supercharged an effort to strip her of power in the state Legislature, which ultimately led to her resignation on Thursday.
But on Friday, when she spoke to her supporters at the Carnahan Courthouse in a closed-door meeting livestreamed via the New Real STL News Facebook page, she brushed all of that off. And she listed factors that held her back:
Recruitment, she said, is harder than people think when most law school graduates laden with debt jump at the higher pay of the private sector. And judges, she said, urged her staff to quit to protect their careers. She also disputed assertions made by other prosecutors that she refused offers of help to clear the backlog of cases.
“I’m a little bit brighter than that,†she said.
She blamed police for issues with turning over evidence; she said police fought tooth-and-nail against her efforts to hold officers more accountable.
She said mayors “defunded†her office over and over — despite multiple significant increases to her budget — leaving her with a “bubblegum budget†bereft of essential tools to do the job.
She also threw cold water on the well wishes expressed in prepared statements by city politicians following Thursday’s announcement. “I know why you well-wishing,†she said. “Because you can go back to business as usual.â€
Despite the obstacles, good things happened, she told supporters.
She talked about her office’s work on pretrial diversion programs aimed at rehabilitating people struggling with substance abuse rather than sending them to prison. She highlighted the exoneration of Lamar Johnson, a man convicted of first-degree murder 30 years ago despite what a judge called clear and convincing evidence of his innocence.
And she became emotional as she talked about resigning, effective June 1, as part of a deal with state officials to block legislation that would strip her office of much of its power and allow the governor to appoint a special prosecutor over major crimes. She said city residents must have the right to elect their top prosecutor.
“I know I did the right thing,†she said. “These are tears of joy because you still have that right.â€
She said her focus now was making sure officials make good on their end of the deal. There is still a week left until the end of the state legislative session.
She declined comment to the Post-Dispatch following the event.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Friday said he would not dismiss his lawsuit seeking ºüÀêÊÓƵ Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner's removal until she vacates her office.
No decision has been made on whether to appoint a Republican or Democrat.
The attorney general, ºüÀêÊÓƵ County prosecutor Wesley Bell and downtown law firms Lewis Rice and Thompson Coburn all said they stand ready to help.
The news sent shockwaves through downtown courthouses where victims, defense attorneys and judges had complained for weeks about the dysfunction.
Gardner and aides spoke with Senate leaders on Wednesday.
Who will Gov. Mike Parson choose to lead circuit attorney’s office? Hopefully somebody who knows how to manage a law firm.Â