Page 1
Mitchell Blasts Gascón’s Appointment of Blacknell
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell, a candidate for Los Angeles County district attorney, has released a statement excoriating incumbent George Gascón over his appointment of Tiffany Blacknell as his chief of staff.
Blacknell was a deputy public defender recruited by Gascón in 2020 to join his staff. She has been serving as a special advisor and chief of communications.
She will assume her new role on Jan. 16.
Anti-Police
Mitchell declared:
“If there was ever any doubt as to Gascón’s contempt for law enforcement, for the victims of crime, for the career prosecutors who serve in the District Attorney’s Office, for the well-being of our community, that doubt has been obliterated. Ms. Blacknell’s record is replete with statement after statement vilifying law enforcement as the enemy.
“She stated that LAPD officers are ‘barbarians,’ that they are an ‘occupying army’ and that the ‘police are trained to kill us.’ She also acknowledged participating in looting during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.”
The judge continued:
“It is beyond comprehension that Gascón, a former high-ranking LAPD officer, would employ, let alone elevate, a person with such beliefs and record. But then, Gascon’s record over the past three years confirms that he is the antithesis of what a District Attorney should be—the chief law enforcement officer of Los Angeles County, committed to ensuring the safety of all Angelenos.”
No Prosecutorial Experience
Mitchell characterized Gascon’s as being “akin to a defense attorney who is incapable of objectivity.” He noted that the district attorney has never tried a case, this lack of experience as a prosecutor is “appalling.”
Noting that, while presiding over felony trials, he has witnessed Blacknell’s performance in representing defendants. He termed her a “talented defense attorney” but said:
“[T]he Ms. Blacknell I have witnessed in court is the last person who—in any capacity—belongs in the District Attorney’s Office. Her whole mindset has been to discredit both the victims of crime and law enforcement. It is in her very nature to champion the interests of those who commit crimes.”
Mitchell is one of nine challengers to Gascón in the March 5 primary.
Copyright 2023, Metropolitan News Company