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A veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor scolded his boss Thursday, saying his progressive reforms and administration type have alienated his colleagues and turned the nation’s largest district lawyer’s workplace right into a “managerial dumpster fire.”
In a prolonged letter to District Attorney George Gascon and his prime aides, prosecutor Mark Burnley aired numerous grievances on his final day with the workplace. Burnley stated he has been with the DA’s workplace since 1999 and a prosecutor for 28 years.
“Until December 2020, I thought I had the best job in the world,” Burnley wrote, referring to when Gascon took workplace after unseating incumbent DA Jackie Lacey, in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. “I am constantly amazed by the expertise and knowledge of the DDAs in this office. They are deeply devoted and have a breathtaking amount of experience. It’s a shame you cannot or will not recognize that.”
In his letter, Burnley stated he was informed by a member of Gascon’s transition group earlier than he took workplace that there wouldn’t be any “dramatic” coverage adjustments. The morning earlier than he was sworn in because the county’s prime prosecutor, Burnley was knowledgeable in any other case, he stated.
“Many of us hoped, like Mark Burnley, that George Gascon could run a government office. He made it clear, from the first minute of his administration, that he could not,” Eric Siddall, vp of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County, informed Fox News Digital in an announcement.
“Nothing has changed since then,” he added. “Gascon and his cronies have made Southwest Airlines’ executive team look like a bunch of managerial geniuses. Dedicated public servants are leaving the office in record numbers. Interest in joining the office is at a historic low. And the people of Los Angeles are paying the price. Burnley is right: competence matters.”
Gascon has confronted mounting criticism over his progressive legal justice insurance policies that some say allow criminals and fail to guard the rights of victims. Upon taking workplace, he issued numerous directives, a few of which have been scaled again. The coverage adjustments embrace a ban on charging juvenile suspects as adults and never charging for legal enhancements, amongst others.
He additionally repealed a long-held coverage of notifying crime victims about upcoming parole hearings scheduled for people who harmed them or their family members in addition to barring a consultant from the DA’s workplace from attending these hearings on behalf of victims.
In his letter, Burnley stated he believes legal justice reform is required, resembling different sentencing packages for sure defendants in addition to diversion packages for these convicted of misdemeanors and non-violent felonies.
“Fifteen minutes of basic legal research would have been more than enough to modify the policies to conform with the law,” Burnley stated. In one Zoom assembly hosted by Gascon, Burnley stated his boss “exhibited a staggering lack of prosecutorial experience and knowledge. For example, you seemed completely unaware of how your policies would impact hate crime and financial crime prosecutions. The combination of arrogance and inexperience was obvious.”
In addition to how his workplace views legal justice, Gascon has additionally been accused of retaliating towards his personal prosecutors who publicly criticize him and level to flaws in his insurance policies.
“You have also shattered the personal and professional lives of scores of people who decided to devote their legal educations to public service,” Burnley wrote.
Several veteran prosecutors, together with John McKinney, who has received a number of high-profile instances and John Lewin, each from the Major Crimes Division, and Jason Lustig had been moved to lower-level positions.
“Everything he (Burnley) wrote was completely accurate and, unfortunately, completely true,” Lewin informed Fox News Digital. “From day one, George Gascon went in there, he had no experience as a line prosecutor. He had no desire to protect the public and he had no interest in trying to implement his policies in an intelligent and responsible way.”
Lustig informed Fox News Digital Burnley is a highly-regarded prosecutor who was utterly proper in his criticism.
“He is capturing the feeling of George Gascon trying to dismantle the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office,” he stated. “He’s really trying to burn it down to the ground.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Gascon’s workplace.
Despite the backlash, Gascon has survived two recall efforts and has weathered criticism from crime victims, legislation enforcement heads, his fellow district attorneys and elected officers.
“Hopefully you will display more humility and less arrogance during the remainder of your term,” Burnley stated. “What have you learned from the two recall efforts? It takes courage and integrity to conduct an honest self-assessment; I doubt you’re up to the task.”
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