Soros-backed candidate for Maricopa County District Attorney Julie Gunnigle has repeatedly advocated for releasing violent criminals.
“I have zero patience for those who espouse criminal justice reform but only talk about our low-level non-violent offenders,” Soros-backed candidate Julie Gunnigle remarked in just one of several statements in support of violent criminals.
Gunnigle, who has praised organizations that advocate for the total abolition of prisons, has also said that sometimes violent criminals are the least likely to offend after they’ve been let out of prison. In an interview that has since been made private, Gunngile said, “Who actually is least likely to reoffend? Well, it turns out it’s just those who have been held the longest —and sometimes it’s those who have had a violent felony in their past.”
In a different interview, the Soros-backed candidate was asked whether or not she distinguishes between violent and nonviolent criminals. Gunnigle responded, “I do, but I try to use that term carefully,” before going on to claim, “Those end up being coded terms for race and making people feel otherized.”
“In Arizona it’s been a big problem because, the way our criminal code is situated, our definition of ‘violent crime’ includes offenses that really have nothing to do with the dictionary definition of violence,” the district attorney candidate added.
Gunnigle also said that prosecutors should rethink incarceration as a first response to criminal offenses, even when such offenses are violent.
What people want is safety. They want to be made whole, and a conviction doesn’t necessarily get you there, whether or not it’s for a so-called violent versus non-violent offense. I think the way to get there is to start conceptualizing it in ways that restore the community rather than just thinking about it in a way that calls for incarceration as a first response.
The Democratic candidate has also repeatedly implied that gun violence offenders should not be incarcerated. “We need to treat addiction, mental health, and gun violence as the public health crisis that they are and not an excuse to incarcerate people,” Gunnigle stated.
She has made nearly identical statements implying that gun violence offenders should not be imprisoned on multiple different occasions.
Gunnigle has even voiced her opposition to felony murder doctrine, which she has called “arbitrary.” The Soros-backed candidate stated, “I am here to reform the way we use felony murder, and I think it is rarely appropriate to be used”
“It has become problematic, however, how it’s been used … And, to me, that just highlights how arbitrary the felony murder doctrine has become and how removed it’s become from crimes that really influence the safety and health of ourcommunity,” Gunngile added.
In the same interview, Gunnigle stated that “Life in prison without the possibility of parole should be reserved for those who intend to kill or intend to cause serious bodily injury.”
The Soros-backed candidate claimed, “Felony murder in my view has been expanded far beyond what it was ever intended to do,” then going on to say, “It seems to me that this is a doctrine that’s outlived its usefulness.”
During the interview, Gunnigle was asked “Let’s take a more narrow case of two hypothetical people going in to commit a robbery and one of them kills. Does that lead to life without parole or the death penalty for the other —the other person committing the crime?” Gunnigle responded “In my view, no.”
Additionally, Gunnigle has stated that a “diversion program” should be made available “to hopefully everyone who commits a drug-motivated offense.” The candidate wasn’t just referring to drug usage however, but preceded the statement by saying, “when we look at our thefts, we look at our burglaries, we know that the root of so much of those crimes are addiction-related.”
Breitbart News revealed that Gunnigle has praised multiple organizations that have advocated for prisons to be abolished altogether. An organization called “Mass Liberation AZ” brings a “valued voice” to the criminal justice conversation, according to Gunnigle. The group states on their website “We believe all prisons, detention centers and jails should be abolished.”
Breitbart News previously revealed that Soros-backed Gunnigle wants to halt the deportation of criminal illegal aliens. The candidate has stated that prosecutors should take criminals’ immigrant status into account before arguing for sentences.
Breitbart News also revealed that the Soros-backed Democratic candidate has received endorsements from several organizations that advocate for amnesty and open borders that are themselves also backed by globalist billionaire George Soros. She also supports deadly sanctuary city policies.
Billionaire George Soros has dumped millions of dollars into organizations dedicated to advocating for mass immigration, sanctuary city policies, and amnesty through his Open Society Foundations.
Gunnigle is running against Rachel Mitchell, the Republican candidate for the position of Maricopa County District Attorney. Mitchell is currently the interim district attorney. In a debate between the two, Mitchell called out Gunnigle for calling to remove $25 million from the Phoenix Police.
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com.
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