By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-30 00:57:42 | Updated at 2024-10-30 03:27:06
3 hours ago
Ultra-liberal Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón’s decision to help free the Menedez brothers has contributed to serious uproar in his office.
Colleagues claim the move is self-serving, with him interfering in a huge case to raise his profile as he battles to hang on to his position in a November election.
“In the office there’s no support for Gascón,” a knowledgeable DA’s office source told The Post.
“Ninety percent of the people in the office think he should be recalled. Everything he does is viewed as either political or self-motivated to further his progressive agenda.
“That’s been a disaster in the way it has been implemented here. That is why he’s in trouble in this election.”
Gascon – formerly DA of San Francisco from 2011 to 2019 – has survived two recall attempts during his time in LA and is currently trailing rival Nathan Hochman by some 30 points in his reelection campaign.
“He is, and you can quote me, a disengaged idiot,” John Lewin, deputy district attorney in the LA County office, told The Post. “He does not know anything about the law. He does not know anything about the office. He rarely shows up for work.”
Gascón, 70, has drawn a lot of attention since he announced he would review the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were both sentenced to life for the 1989 double murder of their parents, earlier this month.
Critics have seized on how he made the announcement just weeks after a highly popular new show and documentary about the brothers was released on Netflix.
“It’s a coincidence, that’s what he would say,” opined John McKinney, a deputy DA in the LA County prosecutor’s office.
“Other people would say that the stars don’t really align like that in real life. Yes, the petition was filed in February. Yes, there was the movie. But [he] didn’t take action until after the movie?”
The office of the district attorney told The Post, “The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office … conducts its public service work independently of election cycles. Our prosecutors are committed to working diligently and efficiently to manage the thousands of cases we receive annually.”
Inside the DA’s office – where some people who worked on the original case and the two trials against the brothers in 1993 and 1995 are still employed – two different camps formed.
One faction feels the Menendez’s should receive a minimized sentence and be let out, the other that they got what they deserved and should be handed no mercy.
“One contingent argued forcefully for him to do nothing,” said a resentencing insider. “The other argued for him to do more than he did.”
At a press conference last week Gascon requested a resentencing that would have the brothers’ first-degree murder charges remain, but take away its condition of no parole.
If a judge accepts his recommendation, it will open a door for the brothers to apply for parole and possibly be freed.
Multiple sources interviewed by The Post agree Gascón’s reason for seeking potential release for Lyle and Erik is to boost his profile on the national stage – which it has, leading to him appearing on every national news network multiple times.
Even if he has no chance of winning, according to McKinney, the Menendez case helps his campaign.
“I know that Gascón’s campaign has little to no money,” said McKinney, who ran against Gascón in the primaries for District Attorney before “being ushered out” as he put it.
“They are not able to run ads on television, social media or the radio. And the only way for him to get exposure at this point is to manufacture earned media.”
That said, there is also a belief that the resentencing bid could backfire among his most ardent supporters. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that people on the far left believe that this is outrageous,” said the DA’s office source. “Like, how would you put these rich kids to the front of the line [for resentencing] when others are probably more deserving and have been waiting forever.”
Lewin is more cynical, and thinks the last attention grabbing case is more about sealing his legacy.
“My guess is that this is really about George Gascón’s post DA career. It will likely be as a George Soros scholar, endowed chair or whatever. And he will be introduced to adoring college law students as the godfather of progressive prosecution who died on the cross for the sins in the criminal justice system.
“He is doing that with the resentencing.”
Gascon has faced something of a revolt during his time in the Los Angeles DA’s office, which has left him with an inner circle of trusted appointees — and a great deal of other prosecutors who are distrustful, leading to a sometimes weird working dynamic, sources have previously told The Post.
On the Menendez case, insiders said they were surprised some of the veterans who had been involved with Kyle and Erik’s case for years weren’t more involved.
“I think people who knew every detail of the case should have been [consulted from the outset,” said the insider. “Gascón made his decision based on his interest. [More knowledgeable staffers] were consulted at the very end. But it was almost a fait accompli at that point.”
Taking it all in, McKinney said he is not completely surprised by how things have shaken out, with the retrial request and attendant publicity.
“Most people feel that this was politically motivated based on the timing,” he said. “People kind of feel that it is typical of Gascón to do something like this.”
