The latest developments on Jussie Smollett vs. Chicago
The release of hundreds of emails and texts comes as State’s Attorney Kim Foxx continues to explain and defend her office’s decision to drop the charges against Jussie Smollett, a TV star who was accused of faking a hate crime against himself. https://t.co/rZkXVMKcMb
- WBEZ (@WBEZ) April 18, 2019
Yesterday, the Cook County State Attorney's office made public thousands of internal texts and emails on the Jussie Smollett case after a FOIA request was made by local news outlets in Chicago.
[LOTS OF TEXT]
Highlights of what was released:
- Kim Foxx, Cook County's State Attorney, the top prosecutor in the city had recused herself from the case because she was in contact with Smollett's family and friends through texts. However, she did not do a formal recusal as under Illinois state law. The case against Smollett had to be handled by somebody outside of the Cook County's State Attorney's office.
- Texts showed that she still talked to the her first assistant State's Attorney Joseph Magats after her recusal.
[SCREENSHOTS OF TEXT]
Check out this text message obtained by the @ABC7Chicago I-Team from State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to Joe Magats- the prosecutor running the Jussie Smollett case *after* her recusal. pic.twitter.com/NInWqEfDSC
- Ross Weidner (@RossWeidner) April 17, 2019
- The texts show that Foxx still advised the prosecutor who took over the case, even though she has been recused. She texts Magats that somebody like R. Kelly, he is referenced as something else in the text, with 4 victims only gets 10 counts, but a washed up celebrity, in this context Jussie Smollett, who lied to cops get 16 counts.
- The records released still do not paint a picture as to how the State's Attorney's office struck a deal for Jussie Smollett's charges to be dropped.
- The prosecutors in the office were stunned by the media response of their decision. For those that forgot what the decision was all 16 counts, performing 16 hours of community service, and forfeiting his bond of $10,000.
- Smollett's attorneys had approached the State Attorney's office after the March 8 hearing on how to make the case go away. The day the charges were dropped was March 26.
- Michael Avenatti reached out to Foxx directly when he was considering representing two brothers who allegedly helped Smollett stage the hoax attack. Avenatti was already in close contact with the Cook County State's Attorney office in regards to their case against R. Kelly.
Last week, Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard agreed last week to investigate the State Attorney's office handling of the Smollett case. The FBI's case against Smollett is still continuing and we don't know the outcome yet. The City of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Smollett failed to meet a city-demanded deadline to pay more than $130,000 into that allegedly staged attack.
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