Tracking the Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax

Chicago PD Superintendent Eddie Johnson, Rahm Emanuel call Jussie Smollett charges being dropped 'whitewash of justice'

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his city's police force Tuesday afternoon, denouncing prosecutors for dropping charges against "Empire" star Jussie Smollett and slamming the episode as a "whitewash of justice."

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Emanuel said they were not only furious with the outcome of Tuesday's surprise hearing but also blindsided by the decision itself, with the officials only learning Smollett wouldn't face charges for allegedly faking a hate crime at the same time the public found out.

"Where is the accountability in the system? You cannot have – because of a person's position – one set of rules applies to them and another set of rules apply to everyone else," Emanuel said. "Our officers did hard work day in and day out, countless hours working to unwind what actually happened that night. The city saw its reputation dragged through the mud...It's not just the officers' work, but the work of the grand jury that made a decision based on only a sliver of the evidence [presented]. Because of the judge's decision, none of that evidence will ever be made public."
 
Here's a mostly complete direct video link. Except one stupid quick jab at Trump based on a hoax, Rahm Emanuel is pretty spot on. The Police Chief is spot on.

 
Chicago FOP Demand Investigation Of Michelle Obama/Kim Foxx Angle In Jussie Smollett Case

The Chicago PD is understandably furious over the announcement today that all charges would be dropped in the Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax case.

The reasons given why were lame, and as a result the Fraternal Order of Police have amplified their call for the feds to investigate Cook County State’s Attorney General Kim Foxx’s handling of the case

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FBI reportedly probing why Jussie Smollett charges were dropped

The FBI reportedly launched a probe Wednesday to get to the bottom of Chicago prosecutors’ secret deal to drop all charges against Jussie Smollett even though they insisted they had the evidence for a conviction.

The federal investigation kicked off one day after the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office abandoned its 16-count felony indictment against the “Empire” star with no warning and little explanation, reported Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV, citing law-enforcement sources.

The report came as State’s Attorney Kim Foxx defended the bombshell decision to walk away from the prosecution — even as she maintained her office had an airtight case.

“Based on the facts and the evidence . . . this office believes that they could prove him guilty,” Foxx told WLS. But she added of prosecutors’ decision to let Smollett walk free with no more than the forfeiture of his $10,000 bail and 16 hours of community service, “I believe this is a just outcome based on the circumstances.”

The latest twist in an already whirlwind saga came as Foxx’s office bizarrely insisted that she did not “formally” recuse herself from the case — she only did so “colloquially.”
 
Chicago PD In Possession Of TWO Photos Of Jussie Smollett In Car With Nigerian Brothers

What’s more, police seem to have proof that Smollett picked up and drove the brothers to the area where the attack was set to take place:

Later on in the file, the records state: “R/D asked [the two Osundairo brothers] the area in which Smollett drove on 27-Jan-2019 after [the two Osundairo brothers] were picked up by Smollett in front of their residence on Ashland Avenue, taking Ashland Avenue to Irving Park Road. Smollett then took Irving Park Road to Lake Shore Drive to the area where the attack would take place.”​
 
NEW: Illinois Bar Drops Hammer On Kim Foxx Over Jussie Smollett, Lays Out Possible Illegality By Her

The Illinois Prosecutors Bar Association serves as the voice for nearly 1,000 front line prosecutors across the State who work tirelessly towards the pursuit of justice. The events of the past few days regarding the Cook County State’s Attorney’s handling of the Jussie Smollett case is not condoned by the IPBA, nor is it representative of the honest ethical work prosecutors provide to the citizens of the State of Illinois on a daily basis.

The manner in which this case was dismissed was abnormal and unfamiliar to those who practice law in criminal courthouses across the State. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges alike do not recognize the arrangement Mr. Smollett received. Even more problematic, the State’s Attorney and her representatives have fundamentally misled the public on the law and circumstances surrounding the dismissal.

The public has the right to know the truth, and we set out to do that here.

When an elected State’s Attorney recuses herself from a prosecution, Illinois law provides that the court shall appoint a special prosecutor. See 55 ILCS 5/3-9008(a-15). Typically, the special prosecutor is a neighboring State’s Attorney, the Attorney General, or the State Appellate Prosecutor. Here, the State’s Attorney kept the case within her office and thus never actually recused herself as a matter of law.

Additionally, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office falsely informed the public that the uncontested sealing of the criminal court case was “mandatory” under Illinois law. This statement is not accurate. To the extent the case was even eligible for an immediate seal, that action was discretionary, not mandatory, and only upon the proper filing of a petition to seal. See 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(g)(2). For seals not subject to Section 5.2(g)(2), the process employed in this case by the State’s Attorney effectively denied law enforcement agencies of legally required Notice (See 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(d)(4)) and the legal opportunity to object to the sealing of the file (See 20 ILCS 2630/5.2(d)(5)). The State’s Attorney not only declined to fight the sealing of this case in court, but then provided false information to the public regarding it.

The appearance of impropriety here is compounded by the fact that this case was not on the regularly scheduled court call, the public had no reasonable notice or opportunity to view these proceedings, and the dismissal was done abruptly at what has been called an “emergency” hearing. To date, the nature of the purported emergency has not been publicly disclosed. The sealing of a court case immediately following a hearing where there was no reasonable notice or opportunity for the public to attend is a matter of grave public concern and undermines the very foundation of our public court system.

Lastly, the State’s Attorney has claimed this arrangement is “available to all defendants” and “not a new or unusual practice.” There has even been an implication it was done in accordance with a statutory diversion program. These statements are plainly misleading and inaccurate. This action was highly unusual, not a statutory diversion program, and not in accordance with well accepted practices of State’s Attorney initiated diversionary programs. The IPBA supports diversion programs, and recognizes the many benefits they provide to the community, the defendant and to the prosecuting agency. Central to any diversion program, however, is that the defendant must accept responsibility. To be clear here, this simply was not a deferred prosecution.

Prosecutors must be held to the highest standard of legal ethics in the pursuit of justice. The actions of the Cook County State’s Attorney have fallen woefully short of this expectation. Through the repeated misleading and deceptive statements to the public on Illinois law and circumstances surrounding the Smollett dismissal, the State’s Attorney has failed in her most fundamental ethical obligations to the public. The IPBA condemns these actions.​
 
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