Letter to the editor: Why I resigned from the Kansas U.S. Attorney’s Office

Why I resigned

I worked as an assistant United States attorney in the District of Kansas from 2010 through 2014. During that time, I served as U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom’s first assistant, interim criminal chief and criminal coordinator of the Kansas City, Kansas, office. I was a career prosecutor and had worked as either a state or federal prosecutor since 1988.

I informed Grissom about systemic prosecutorial misconduct on a daily basis. I did so in person and in documented form. I was not the only person providing such information to him. Similar reports were consistently communicated by defense attorneys, probation officers, citizens, law enforcement and the courts.

It was a poorly kept secret that the Kansas U.S. Attorney’s Office under Grissom was internally dysfunctional and akin to a “Lord of the Flies” environment. Sadly, Grissom chose not to confront and change prosecutorial problems but instead chose to ignore them, hope they never became public and focus on promoting himself for a future political campaign. Judge Julie Robinson’s 188-page ruling was the foreseeable, if not inevitable, consequence of Grissom’s inaction as a public official.

In an Aug. 21 letter to the editor, Grissom professes surprise outrage at two “rogue” prosecutors. (12A) He asserts I hold a grudge and was “asked” to resign. None of these statements is true. Grissom was perpetually aware of problems and did not properly address them. I resigned in protest on Oct. 11, 2013, in person and in subsequent written memos. I was never asked to step down.

I understand Grissom’s current embarrassment and desire to rationalize. However, voters deserve an honest, rather than airbrushed, examination of his time in office.

Mike Warner

Lawrence