ST. LOUIS — A day after the Missouri state auditor held a news conference looking for former Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, the NAACP has come forward with concerns of its own.
The NAACP St. Louis Branch is urging for the immediate release of an audit into the circuit attorney's office.
In a news conference on Monday, Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said, "Have you seen Kim Gardner, do you know where she is? I know you will see this, do the right thing."
Since resigning almost a year ago, Fitzpatrick said Gardner's input is needed to explain some concerns.
His office has found evidence of "inappropriate expenditures" and "mismanagement," and he wants Gardner to clarify.
The Missouri Auditor's Office has been investigating her since 2021 when former auditor Nicole Galloway launched the investigation. So far, it's cost city taxpayers about $188,000.
Fitzpatrick said their final report has been delayed because his office hasn't been able to serve Gardner with a subpoena to compel her testimony for months.
On the day Fitzpatrick was going to go to court to force her to fully comply with his subpoena for documents, she resigned.
Gardner resigned abruptly in May 2023, as pressure was also mounting from a lawsuit Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed to get her removed from office for allegedly neglecting her duties as the city’s top prosecutor.
St. Louis Branch NAACP President Adolphus Pruitt II said Gardner resigned for other reasons, including the pressure of legislation on a possible state takeover of police control.
In this week's news conference, Pruitt questioned the auditor's objectivity.
"Look at the terminology he used, 'do the right thing, come talk to us.' I think it paints a picture that you're looking for a wanted criminal and that's not the case. I’ve only seen that from prosecutors and police. I don’t understand why an auditor gets that privilege?" he said.
In a news release, he called on the auditor to immediately release the audit report and said, " Put Up or Shut UP – anything less would be a betrayal of the public trust and a disservice to the people of Missouri."
Pruitt told 5 On Your Side he hasn't talked to Gardner, but still criticizes the news conference, calling it unprofessional.
"I guarantee there are other people in government who have communicated with Kim Gardner over the past few months, I feel confident in that. The fact he was unable to do it, I don't think that justifies a press conference," he said.
The auditor plans to release that report before the end of this year with or without Gardner's help.
His office has set up a whistle-blower hotline for Kim Gardner's whereabouts.
The number is 800-347-8597, by email at moaudit@auditor.mo.gov or by visiting www.auditor.mo.gov/hotline.
Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick provided the following statement responding to the latest press release from the NAACP St. Louis Branch:
"Any delay in the release of our audit of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office is directly attributable to Kim Gardner and her unwillingness to be transparent and accountable. We have made numerous good faith efforts to give her the opportunity to come forward and answer our questions about decisions she made while in charge of the office despite her obstruction of the audit for two full years while in office. To not make every effort to get her side of the story would be an enormous disservice to the people of St. Louis, who deserve the answers only she can provide. It's important to remember the Board of Aldermen requested this audit at the urging of St. Louis residents, who are paying the for the full cost of the audit, including the cost of delays caused by Kim Gardner. We will do everything we can to provide them with a complete picture of how the office was managed while Kim Gardner was in office."