Nearly two dozen district attorneys associated with billionaire philanthropist and Democratic donor George Soros have been replaced by "tough-on-crime" prosecutors since 2022, a report found Monday.
Since 2022, 21 prosecutors labeled as “tough” have succeeded ones linked to Soros nationwide, according to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF). The group's findings include election results from last month.
The prosecutors who have been succeeded received “substantial campaign support” from groups funded by Soros or were affiliated with advocacy bodies supported by the philanthropist, LELDF found.
Replaced officials include former Cook County, Illinois State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx, whose jurisdiction extended to Chicago. Her term ended Monday when Eileen O'Neill Burke was sworn in. Outgoing Alameda County, Calif. District Attorney Pamela Price, who was recalled last month after just 18 months in office, is also featured in LELDF's findings.
The report also points to the replacements of former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and former Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby. Gascón's term ends Tuesday when Nathan Hochman, his opponent in last month's race, takes office, while Mosby lost the 2022 Democratic primary election to Ivan Bates, who has since held the role.
LELDF told The National News Desk (TNND) the organization’s criteria for designating the successors as “tough” or “soft” on crime is based on research of their policy positions “viz their predecessor or opponent respectively.” Any definition of “soft” or “tough” on crime is “inherently subjective,” according to the group.
The organization pointed to 16 of the prosecutors endorsing a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the creation of a “Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Prosecution.” The letter says the U.S.’ “decades of tough-on-crime practices have not created safety and have been an anathema to justice.”
Some of the officials, like Foxx and Gascón, have been associated with being “soft on crime,” LELDF added. It cited a 2021 report by Fox 32 Chicago that Alderman Brian Hopkins attributed criminal behavior to Foxx’s policies.
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