Disgraced St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is apparently missing in action as Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has made multiple attempts to locate her to ask questions about an ongoing audit of her former office.
Gardner’s office has been under investigation since 2021, when former Auditor Nicole Galloway was still in office. Fitzpatrick stepped into the role in 2023, and subpoenaed a number of records from Gardner’s office – but the office reportedly only delivered some of the requested documents.
Fitzpatrick took Gardner to court in order to get the remaining information, but instead of cooperating with the investigation, she resigned from office in May of 2023. In the months since, Fitzpatrick has attempted to reach Gardner — either directly or through her attorneys — and has had no luck.
“This is a pattern of behavior with Kim Gardner, who hasn’t shown a willingness to be transparent or accountable,” Fitzpatrick said in a news release on Monday. “Without question, she knows our audit is ongoing and that we want to speak with her about her time in office, but she has made no effort to comply with our requests or respond to our inquiries.”
Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R-MO) — who is currently running for governor — called out the former circuit attorney via X: “Where in the world is Kim Gardner? Dodging @FitzpatrickMO, apparently. Typical behavior for someone who refused to do her job.”
Where in the world is Kim Gardner?
Dodging @FitzpatrickMO, apparently. Typical behavior for someone who refused to do her job. https://t.co/mR932Y0YBd
— Mike Kehoe (@MikeLKehoe) May 6, 2024
“As I said when she abruptly resigned from office to avoid complying with a subpoena we were prepared to petition the court to enforce, Kim Gardner will be held accountable and we will do everything we can to make sure she answers for her time as Circuit Attorney,” Fitzpatrick said. “Right now her location is unknown and all efforts to reach out to her have been unsuccessful. However, we will do everything we can to locate her and get the answers to our inquiries that only she can provide and that taxpayers deserve.”
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Fitzpatrick has said that he plans to file his report with or without Gardner’s cooperation, but he has continued to try to reach her because he believes the citizens of Missouri deserve the clarification that she could potentially provide.
“I hope she will reconsider her decision to ignore the responsibility she has to cooperate with our audit process and come forward to provide answers to us and to the people of St. Louis,” Fitzpatrick said — and he asked anyone who might know how to reach Gardner to call the State Auditor’s Whistleblower Hotline at 800-347-8597 or email his office at [email protected].
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