Grand jurors slam Gardner, Soros-funded prosecutor who indicted Greitens: 'Disturbing and unethical'

Seven grand jurors wrote a letter to a judge slamming the actions of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner as "disturbing and unethical," after she admitted to wrongdoing in her prosecution of former Missouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens.

The same grand jurors indicted former FBI agent William Don Tisaby, who pleaded guilty in March to witness tampering after he was hired by the Democratic circuit attorney to investigate Greitens. 

The grand jurors sent their letter on April 20 to Judge Rex Burlison, who presided over the case against Greitens. It is addressed to an ethics investigation panel that is currently debating whether to accept Gardner's settlement and put a formal reprimand on her law license. In their letter, obtained by KMOV on Wednesday, the grand jurors called for Gardner's punishment to be more severe.

"During our eight months of Special Grand Jury service, our investigation resulted in the indictment of an individual who was very closely associated with Ms. Gardner," they wrote in the letter. "Our work exposed us to activity and behaviors in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office that we considered disturbing and unethical. What we observed was not inadvertent nor inconsequential but was calculated deceit and/or outright incompetence; neither of which is acceptable behavior for a person holding this public office." 

The group said they are "extremely disappointed" with the Missouri Office of Disciplinary Counsel's recommended punishment. 

"We urge you to consider much stronger disciplinary action in this case," they said. "We firmly believe such action is warranted."

"The individual we indicted was accused of many crimes, however, he was a private citizen," the grand jurors noted. "In our opinion, Ms. Gardner’s offenses were markedly worse. As a lawyer sworn to uphold the law and as a public servant voted to the city’s highest prosecutorial office, her behavior should be beyond reproach. Yet her disregard for the law, as detailed in both the Special Grand Jury indictment as well as in the ethics charges, is reprehensible. Our assignment as jurors was to investigate the indicted but our efforts revealed prosecutorial misconduct we believed was likely indictable as well." 

"A strong message must be delivered in this case," the panel members urged. "If not, we can only feel our time and energy were wasted.

Gardner, who received campaign funding from a George Soros-linked PAC in 2020, admitted to wrongdoing last month in her case against Greitens.

The Circuit Attorney's Office did not respond to KMOV's request for comment.