Lynch Backs Cooley for District Attorney
LOS ANGELES — John Lynch, who nearly defeated Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti in 1996, endorsed Garcetti challenger Steve Cooley on Wednesday, saying the veteran prosecutor has the experience and integrity to handle what is looming as a major crisis, the Rampart Division police scandal.
“We cannot take the risk of mismanaging the gravest challenge to the criminal justice system we have faced,” Lynch told reporters gathered outside the downtown Criminal Courts Building.
He added that the district attorney’s office under Garcetti “has a rather unfortunate history of not handling great challenges.” In the last election, Lynch repeatedly blamed Garcetti for the office’s loss in the O.J. Simpson case.
Cooley, a deputy district attorney for 26 years, is among two challengers facing Garcetti in the March 7 election. The other is environmental lawyer and former prosecutor Barry Groveman.
Cooley supported Lynch in 1996, when Lynch came within 5,000 votes of defeating Garcetti.
Lynch is deputy district attorney in charge of the Norwalk office, the same position he held when he challenged Garcetti.
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