Prosecutors group blasts Smollett case handling
Actor Jussie Smollett talks to the media before leaving Cook County Court after his charges were dropped, Tuesday, March 26, 2019, in Chicago. Image: AP Photo/Paul Beaty
The Illinois Prosecutors Bar Association has issued a blistering critique of how Cook County prosecutors went about dropping all charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett over his report of a racist, anti-gay attack.
A Thursday statement says Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Fox and her representatives “have fundamentally misled the public on the law and circumstances surrounding the dismissal.”
It said the approach “was abnormal and unfamiliar” to those in criminal law in Illinois.
Foxx this week has defended her staff’s work, saying the Smollett case was handled how it would have been for anyone with no criminal record. Her office didn’t have an immediate comment about the group’s comments.
The association also pointed to apparent secrecy around a Tuesday hearing where charges were dropped, saying it added to an “appearance of impropriety.” CC
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