Kim Gardner prioritizing nursing degree over prosecuting criminals: Missouri AG Andrew Bailey
Missouri AG Andrew Bailey speaks out against progressive prosectors and their so-called criminal justice reforms on Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy.
Missourri Attorney General Andrew Bailey warned that the city of St. Louis at a "crisis point" due to the actions and potentially illegal activities of district attorney Kim Gardner.
Bailey appeared on Fox News’ "Sunday Night in America" with Trey Gowdy to discuss the recent revelations that Gardner had been taking nursing classes at a university during her time in office. This along with her failure to properly prosecute criminals showed "how awful" the city had become under her tenure, Bailey stated.
"It's a crisis point here in the state of Missouri and in the region and specifically in the city of Saint Louis, where there is no rule of law and victims can't find justice in our court system. And it's all because of the circuit attorney and her unlawful refusal to do her job. Ninety-six percent of crimes reported in the city of Saint Louis did not result in criminal charges being issued by the state attorney's office," Bailey said.
Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks to reporters after taking the oath of office in Jefferson City, Mo., on Jan. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)
He continued, "A judge just recently has described her office as a rudderless ship of chaos, and certainly that's been demonstrated in the past two weeks. She's failed to show up or send any assistant to a murder trial. This wasn't a council status hearing. It was set for trial. It was a homicide trial and also a first-degree assault trial. She didn't show up. She didn't send anybody else."
SOROS-BACKED PROSECUTOR MIRED IN SCANDAL RESIGNS FROM OFFICE
After her nursing classes were discovered, Gardner’s office announced her resignation, which will be effective starting June 1. Bailey, however, still showed concern over the damage that could occur in her remaining time in office.
"There will be more victims, more chaos, and we’re going to keep fighting until the bell rings to make sure she leaves and stays gone," Bailey said.
Gardner was one of the earliest candidates who received support from liberal billionaire George Soros during her first campaign in 2016. She continued to receive support for her re-election campaign in 2020 and previously intended to run again.
DA Kim Gardner hits the books as Attorney General Andrew Bailey closes in. (Getty | Adobe Stock)
"This is the kind of standard playbook where George Soros funds one of these prosecutors and, you know, coastal elites come into Missouri and try to buy these offices, and they don't share Missouri values. And that's a playbook that they've used elsewhere in the country. And people should be concerned about it," Bailey said.
He added, "She wanted to dismantle the criminal justice system. She didn’t want to be a participant in it. She didn’t want to be a participant in the adversarial process. Again, the coastal elites that come at you with an idea of criminal justice reform. Really, it’s just code for an improper exercise of prosecutorial discretion."
Bailey remarked that the governor’s office is in the process of appointing a new district attorney for the remainder of her term, fighting to ensure that it will not be another progressive candidate.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has been criticized for her lenient position on prosecuting criminals. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)
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"We’ve got to keep fighting back, and we’ve got to expose this for what it is. And certainly, I intend to do exactly that. We’re going to take our findings and make sure people understand what went wrong here, so we can work to prevent it from ever occurring again because the status quo is not going to cut it anymore in the city of St. Louis," Bailey concluded.