Kim Gardner — the Democrat prosecutor who charged a St. Louis couple with gun crimes last summer after they stood outside their home with weapons drawn as protesters marched past — is facing a misconduct hearing over her investigation of former Gov. Eric Greitens (R) that could end with her law license being revoked, the Washington Examiner reports.
The state disciplinary council “found probable cause that Gardner is ‘guilty of professional misconduct’ after she allegedly hid evidence and fabricated facts” during the Greitens investigation, court documents released on Wednesday said, according to the Examiner.
Greitens was accused of cheating on his wife while in office in 2018, and Gardner hired private investigator William Don Tisaby to help with the case. Tisaby was later accused of perjury and evidence tampering, the Examiner said.
He accepted a plea deal and resigned in May 2018 after being indicted for felony invasion of privacy for “allegedly taking and transmitting” a partially nude photograph, the Examiner reported.
Gardner in trouble
While Gardner appeared to get a good result from the Greitens case, it later came out that she may have “concealed investigation details from her team, failed to disclose facts to Greitens’ legal team, and misrepresented evidence to a court of law,” the Examiner reported.
Gardner’s case will now be heard by a disciplinary hearing panel. If they find her guilty, she could be suspended from practicing law or lose her license.
For her part, Gardner has strongly denied any wrongdoing and claims the charges are an attempt by her political opponents to destroy her character and reputation.
“As the Circuit Attorney has repeatedly proven time after time, she has acted in full accordance with the law during the investigation into former Governor Greitens,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement shared by the Examiner.
“Despite several investigations attempting to uncover illegal wrongdoing by her office in this case, none has ever been found. We are confident that a full review of the facts will show that the Circuit Attorney has not violated the ethical standards of the State of Missouri,” the statement added.
Gardner accuses McCloskeys
According to the Examiner, Gardner was previously the target of backlash for charging Mark and Patricia McCloskey with unlawful use of a weapon and evidence tampering after they brandished an AR-15 and handgun, respectively, to discourage protesters who had breached their gated community from coming onto their property last July.
The McCloskeys did not shoot either of the guns or approach or speak to any of the protesters at the time. They pleaded not guilty to the charges in October, the Examiner reported.
In December, Gardner was removed as a prosecutor in that case after it was discovered that she was using the case in fundraising emails for her re-election, according to the Examiner. The couple is reportedly continuing to fight the charges.
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