Republican DA says she welcomes investigation after criticism from Fresno Democrats
Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp on Wednesday invited an investigation into her office’s Public Integrity Unit, which investigates crimes committed by elected officials or public employees related to their duties.
In her statement, Smittcamp also explained the purpose and defended the work of the Public Integrity Unit after Fresno Democrats earlier on Wednesday accused her of weaponizing her office for politics. The Democrats also called on Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate Smittcamp and the Public Integrity Unit.
Smittcamp, in her statement, issued a reminder to the community that the Public Integrity Unit’s mission is to investigate and prosecute cases involving public officials or employees who commit crimes relating to their official duties.
“This has not changed since the unit’s inception in 2015,” Smittcamp said in the statement.
Smittcamp, a Republican, noted that the Public Integrity Unit doesn’t investigate every crime committed by a public official or employee. Some crimes are handled by other units in the district attorney’s office.
When the Public Integrity Unit receives a submission, investigators consider whether a crime is alleged and whether there are sufficient facts to initiate an investigation, Smittcamp said. The submissions remain confidential, and the Public Integrity Unit does not routinely publicize when investigations are opened or closed.
“However, and unfortunately, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has noticed an increase in the use of our Public Integrity Unit complaint process by members of our community, of all political stripes, to advance their own personal objectives or to attack perceived opponents,” Smittcamp said. “Despite this reality, we are confident that the Public Integrity Unit operates independent of partisan politics, and its filing decisions are based solely on the facts of the case, the applicable law, and our ability to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Furthermore, we welcome any investigation into the practices of our Public Integrity Unit,” Smittcamp said.
You can read Smittcamp’s full statement below.
Fresno Democrats, labor and nonprofit leaders held a news conference earlier Wednesday where they outlined several actions by Smittcamp’s office they said they believed were political attacks, including charging Democrats Joaquin Arambula and Nelson Esparza with crimes. The Democrats said they believed the charges were politically motivated since Republican elected officials who were investigated were not charged with crimes.
It’s not the first time Smittcamp’s ethics and politics have been questioned.
Local attorney Kevin Little earlier this year called on Bonta to investigate Smittcamp for how she’s handled questions and investigations related to Granite Park. Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias in March also accused Smittcamp from the dais of prosecuting Democrats in the court of public opinion.
Bonta’s office told The Bee on Wednesday the office is aware of the investigation request and will review it when it is received.
In a media statement Friday, Fresno County Democratic Party Chair Ruben Zarate said Smittcamp had “a lot of trust to restore with the community.”
“I’m glad to hear that Lisa Smittcamp has welcomed an investigation into her office. Over the years, Smittcamp has established a pattern of weaponizing her departments and we as a party determined that action needs to be taken to ensure a fair judicial system.
You can read the full statement and resolution from the Fresno County Democrats below.
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 5:10 PM.