St. Louis prosecutor: Ouster effort is politically motivated

By JIM SALTER
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The elected prosecutor in St. Louis is accusing Missouri’s attorney general of seeking her ouster for political gain. Democratic Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is under intense scrutiny after a visiting teenage athlete lost her legs in a crash blamed on a man who remained free from jail despite multiple bond violations. Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit that seeks to remove her from office. Gardner filed a court response late Tuesday. Bailey’s effort includes criticism that too many crimes, including homicides, go unpunished in St. Louis. Gardner’s filing accuses Bailey of seeking to “take advantage of a tragedy for political gain.”