«Breaking News» Michelle Obama's former aide defends contacting State Attorney about Jussie Smollett

Michelle Obama's former chief of staff has been forced to defend her decision to contact the State Attorney about Jussie Smollett prior to his 16 charges being suddenly dropped.  

Tina Tchen issued a statement saying she knew the Empire actor's family and was simply putting 'the chief prosecutor in the case in touch with an alleged victim's family' when she contacted Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

The attorney has come under renewed scrutiny for her involvement in the case after she messaged Foxx with 'concerns' about the investigation days after Smollett claimed he'd been victimized in a hate crime.

In a statement, Tchen said: 'I know members of the Smollett family based on prior work together. Shortly after Mr. Smollett reported he was attacked, as a family friend, I contacted Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, who I also know from prior work together. 

'My sole activity was to put the chief prosecutor in the case in touch with an alleged victim's family who had concerns about how the investigation was being characterized in public.'

It comes amid reports the FBI is now reviewing the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of all 16 criminal charges against Smollett. 

Tina Tchen, left, has been forced to defend her decision to contact the State Attorney about Jussie Smollett, right, prior to his 16 charges being suddenly dropped

Attorney Tchen served as chief of staff to Michelle Obama, pictured here with Smollett

Tchen, 63, wrote in an email to Foxx on February 1, three days after the purported attack: 'I wanted to give you a call on behalf of Jussie Smollett and the family who I know. They have concerns about the investigation,' the Chicago Tribune reported.

She became involved in the Smollett case when she contacted Foxx on February 1, three days after the Empire actor claimed that two white men had assaulted him in the street shouting racist and anti-gay slurs, as well as slogans of President Donald Trump.

It is understood Tchen has close ties with Smollett's sisters. 

She wanted Foxx to convince Chicago police to hand the investigation over to the FBI, and Foxx agreed to try.

Several hours later, Foxx received a text message from one of Smollett's relatives.

Foxx indicated that she was trying to get the investigation turned over to the FBI.

'Spoke to the [police] superintendent earlier, he made the ask. Trying to figure out logistics. I'll keep you posted,' Foxx wrote.

'Omg this would be a huge victory,' Smollett's relative replied to the prosecutor.

Foxx replied: 'I make no guarantees but I'm trying.' 

Attorney for Jussie Smollett, Patricia Brown Holmes answers reporter's questions after her client's court appearance at Leighton Courthouse on March 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois

Holmes later told CNN 'there was no political influence in this case' and went so far as to blame Chicago's police chief and mayor 'for not having any communication with the State's Attorney for the reason they are 'upset'

Smollett lawyer Patricia Brown Holmes on Michelle Obama’s former top aide reaching out to Kim Foxx:

“No one political called that I know of, I don’t think any one political reached out to anyone, I don’t think they would have allowed anyone political to reach out to them” pic.twitter.com/HEca0iccby

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) March 27, 2019

Smollett attorney Patricia Brown Holmes had earlier told CNN 'there was no political influence in this case'. 

She even went so far as to blame Chicago's police chief and mayor 'for not having any communication with the State's Attorney for the reason they are 'upset'. 

Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel said on Wednesday that prosecutors' decision to drop all the charges against Jussie Smollett made 'fools of all of us' as he demanded answers as to why the Empire star was able to escape 'scot-free' despite the State's Attorney's office still believing he is guilty of staging a hoax hate crime. 

Assistant State's Attorney Joe Magats said that even though he does not believe the star is innocent, his office had suddenly decided not to pursue charges because Smollett has a 'lack of criminal background' and was not a threat to the community.

No other explanation for the sudden about-turn has been given and critics, including the 'furious' police chief who led the investigation into the attack, are enraged that not only has Smollett's record been expunged, but a judge has sealed the case meaning none of the evidence will become public. 

But Holmes said: 'There were a team of lawyers, I was one of the members of that team. I did my job, on my end of this matter. They did their jobs. We all collectively worked on this case and researched every single detail and every single fact.

'We communicated with the State's Attorneys and we convinced them that the right thing to do in this case was to dismiss the charges. 

'No one political called that I know of, I don't think any one political reached out to anyone, I don't think they would have allowed anyone political to reach out to them. 

'I think this is a situation where the mayor and the police chief are upset because they didn't communicate or have communication with the state's attorney. That's not our issue.'

There is no doubt that brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo attacked him but so far, no other motive other than that Smollett asked them to and paid them to do it has emerged

In a series of interviews with local news outlets in Chicago on Wednesday, Foxx stood behind her assistant Joseph Magats' decision to let Smollett go scot-free after completing community service and paying a $10,000 bond forfeiture, and said it was in keeping with the circumstances of the case.  

'Right now, there's a lot of emotion. And I wholeheartedly believe that in our work we cannot be driven by emotions. We have to be driven by facts.

'For people who are in the weeds of this, we recognize that the likelihood that someone would get a prison sentence for a Class 4 felony is slim. 

'No two cases are the same...this is not what it looks like on Law & Order, right?' she told local radio station WBEZ.    

At a press conference on Tuesday, Superintendent Johnson joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel in describing it as a 'whitewash of justice.' 

Key moments since Jussie Smollett reported Chicago attack

'Empire' actor and R&B singer Jussie Smollett told Chicago police in January that two men attacked him and yelled racial and homophobic slurs. Here are some key moments in the story:

January 22

- Smollett receives a racist and homophobic threatening letter at the studio in Chicago where 'Empire' is filmed. Police later say that they believe Smollett sent the letter himself.

January 29

- Jussie Smollett tells police he was physically attacked by two men in downtown Chicago while out getting food from a Subway restaurant at 2am. The actor says the men used racial and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an 'unknown substance' on him. Police say Smollett, who is black and gay, told detectives the attackers also yelled he was in 'MAGA country,' an apparent reference to President Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' campaign slogan.

January 30

- Chicago police say they've reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance camera footage, including of Smollett walking downtown, but none shows the attack. Police obtain and release images of two people they would like to question, calling them 'persons of interest.'

- Reports of an assault on Smollett draw outrage and support for him on social media from politicians and celebrities.

January 31

- Trump tells reporters at the White House that he saw a story the night before about Smollett, saying, 'It doesn't get worse, as far as I'm concerned.'

- Smollett's family issues a statement calling the attack a racial and homophobic hate crime. Smollett's family says he 'has told the police everything' and 'his story has never changed,' disputing assertions leveled on social media that he had been less than cooperative and changed his story.

February 1

- Smollett issues a statement telling people he's OK and thanking them for their support. He says he's working with authorities and has been '100 percent factual and consistent on every level.'

February 2

- Smollett gives a concert in West Hollywood, California, opening with an emotional speech, saying he had to play the show because he couldn't let his attackers win.

February 12

- Chicago police say Smollett turned over some, but not all, of the phone records detectives requested as part of their investigation. Police say the heavily redacted files aren't sufficient. Smollett says he redacted information to protect the privacy of contacts and people not relevant to the attack.

February 13

- Chicago police pick up two men they identify as Nigerian brothers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on their return from Nigeria after police learn at least one worked on 'Empire.' Police question the brothers and search the apartment where the men live.

February 14

- Chicago police say local media reports that the attack against Smollett was a hoax are unconfirmed.

- Producers of 'Empire' dispute media reports that Smollett's character, Jamal Lyon, was being written off the show.

February 15

- Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielimi says the two 'persons of interest' are now considered suspects. He says the men - identified previously by police as two brothers from Nigeria - are in custody but have not been charged with a crime.

- Chicago police release the two men without charges after arresting them on suspicion of assaulting Smollett and holding them for nearly 48 hours. A police spokesman says the two are no longer considered suspects and that investigators have new evidence to consider as a result of questioning them.

February 16

- Police say the investigation has 'shifted' after detectives question the two brothers about the attack and release them without charges. Police say they've requested a follow-up interview with Smollett. Smollett's lawyers say the actor feels 'victimized' by reports that he played a role in the assault.

- Smollett's account of what happened is met with some skepticism on social media in the wake of the new developments.

February 17

- Chicago police say they're still seeking a follow-up interview with Smollett after receiving new information that 'shifted' their investigation of a reported attack on the 'Empire' actor. Guglielimi says police reached out to Smollett's attorney, but says an interview has not been conducted.

- Guglielimi declines to address reports that a grand jury may hear evidence in the case, saying: 'We're not confirming, denying or commenting on anything until we can talk to him and we can corroborate some information that we've gotten.'

February 19

- Chicago police investigate tip that on the night Smollett reported being attacked, he was in an elevator of his apartment building with the two Nigerian brothers. Police later dismiss the tip, saying it's not credible based on video evidence.

- Chicago's top prosecutor, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, recuses herself from the investigation. Her office says the decision was made 'out of an abundance of caution... to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case.' No details were provided. Foxx later says the reason for the recusal is that she had conversations with a Smollett family member after the incident was reported in late January.

February 20

- Chicago police say Smollett is officially suspected of filing a false police report when he said he was a victim of a racist, homophobic attack in downtown Chicago in January. Police also say that two brothers who were questioned about the attack were testifying before a grand jury and detectives were presenting evidence to the grand jury.

- Chicago police say the Cook County State's Attorney has charged Smollett with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report that he was attacked by two masked men. Police detectives were contacting Smollett's attorneys to arrange his surrender for arrest.

February 21

- Chicago police say Smollett turned himself in to face a felony charge of disorderly conduct, which could bring up to three years in prison.

- Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says Smollett staged a racist and homophobic attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted publicity. Investigators say they have a $3,500 check that Smollett used to pay the two brothers to help him.

February 22

- Producers of 'Empire' say Jussie Smollett's character will be removed from the final two episodes of this season.

March 7

- A Cook County grand jury returns a 16-count indictment charging Smollett with falsely reporting an offense.

March 26

- Attorneys for 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett say charges alleging he lied to police about attack have been dropped.

 

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/28/michelle-obamas-former-aide-defends-contacting-state-attorney-about-jussie-smollett/
Main photo article Michelle Obama‘s former chief of staff has been forced to defend her decision to contact the State Attorney about Jussie Smollett prior to his 16 charges being suddenly dropped.  
Tina Tchen issued a statement saying she knew the Empire actor’s family and was simply putting &...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca





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