«Breaking News» Smirking Jussie Smollett quits Chicago as FBI 'reviews why the charges against him were dropped'

A smirking Jussie Smollett quit Chicago Wednesday leaving behind a city at war over the decision to drop all charges against him. 

The FBI is now reviewing the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of all 16 criminal charges against the actor, with two law enforcement officials reportedly confirming the probe. 

It came on the same day that recused Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx broke her silence to defend her office's decision to drop the charges against the actor.

A spokesperson for the FBI's Chicago office declined to comment on any pending investigation, ABC7 reports. 

But Foxx spoke out Wednesday amid increasing scrutiny for her handling of the Smollett case. 

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. 

Smollett was first charged with one count of felony disorderly conduct by prosecutors then was hit with an additional 15 charges by a grand jury. 

Each carried a recommended sentence of between one and three years behind bars but Foxx said it was unlikely he would have actually been sentenced to prison time. 

'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.   

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Kim Foxx, the recused Cook County State's Attorney who is facing scrutiny for her handling of the Jussie Smollett case, stood by her office's decision on Wednesday and said Smollett got off because it was the lowest class of felony and he has no criminal background

Meanwhile, the FBI will also continue investigating a threatening letter (pictured) that Smollett received at the studio in Chicago where Empire is filmed on January 22, just days before he was attacked

THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS IN THE JUSSIE SMOLLETT CASE

Why were the charges dropped if the State's Attorney's office says he is guilty?

First Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Magats said he decided to drop the charges because Smollett is not a violent threat to the community and because his office prioritizes violent crimes.

He admitted that he thinks Smollett is guilty and said the evidence stands up but claims because Smollett has no prior criminal background, justice has been served.

Few are satisfied with that answer and say the real reason is more nefarious.  

Why was the case sealed? 

On Tuesday, a judge granted Smollett's attorney's motion to seal the case but there is no written record of it and now it has been wiped from the court's records.  

The judge did not ask a single question about why the case was suddenly dropped or how the decision had been reached.  

Smollett initially said he welcomed the trial and wanted cameras inside for the public to see the evidence. 

Now, critics are demanding to see it all and say that if he is innocent, he has nothing to hide. 

His lawyers have not said why they wanted the records sealed.  

Why did he do community service and pay $10,000 if he is innocent? 

Smollett's attorneys insisted the outcome was not a plea deal but legal experts have unanimously described it as unusual for a defendant to complete community service and pay the city if he is innocent.  

The State's Attorney's office said on Tuesday that the charges would not have been dropped if he had not completed it.    

When did they reach a deal and why was it done in secret?

The State's Attorney's office will not give details about its interactions with Smollett in the days before the announcement. 

It remains unclear how long it has been discussing this outcome with his attorneys and what other options, if any, were discussed to reach this point.  

What really happened on the night of the attack if Smollett did not stage it? 

There is still no explanation for why brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo attacked Smollett, who they were friends with and trained with at the gym, if he did not ask them to. 

Smollett's attorneys say the pair were 'absolutely lying' by saying that he asked them to do it to boost his profile but they do not know why else they did it. 

Prosecutors have not given any alternative scenario and they say the evidence, that Smollett orchestrated it, stands up. 

The brothers' lawyer no longer represents them and they have not spoken. They previously said they felt 'betrayed' by Smollett.  

'The fact that people pick and choose which cases are most important I think breaks my heart. 

'This is not in anyway different that we've treated others,' Foxx said. 

'It was not unusual for me to talk to a victim in a case,' she said. 

Later, in an interview with NBC, she defended her interaction with one of his family members and boasted about recusing herself over it.  

'At the time that I engaged with this family member, Mr. Smollett was considered a victim. 

'What was of concern to me was that that contact could not, would not, be construed, the appearance of it, to impact how we handled this case. 

'So I made the decision, in consultation with my chief ethics officer, a week before he was charged, to remove myself from the case.' 

She also said that Smollett only paid $10,000 because that was the cap under the alternative prosecution scenario which played out. 

'Mr Smollett was afforded the same opportunity that anyone in Cook County who had a non violent offense and the required background would be able to get,' she said. 

Foxx also claimed that she had a 'good' relationship with the police bosses who eviscerated her office's decision on Tuesday.

'He recognizes that this disposition is not outside the realm of what we've seen before.

'I know that he can attest that this case was not treated any differently,' she said, adding that she 'could not speak to' how he felt about it.  

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

He said justice had not been served, maintained that Smollett lied and abhorred him for not letting the evidence become public. 

Foxx maintains that even though her office 'could' have found him guilty, he may have been found innocent. 

She thinks that even if he had been convicted, he would not have been give jail time. 

'Jussie Smollett has not been found guilty by a court of law. We believe that the facts were sufficient to charge and try Mr. Smollett for the crimes.

'He chose this alternative prosecution method. A court has not found him guilty. this office believed that they could prove him guilty.

'We have, this is consistent with what we do in alternative prosecution, I don't think people understand what that is.

'We want to get to just outcomes. It is possible that if we did not offer a diversionary outlet for Mr. Smollett that he could have been taken to trial, he could have very well been found not guilty. 

'What diversion allows is even for those who are guilty, to be able to get to the same outcome, if he was found guilty on a class 4, he was going to get some restitution, community service, not prison,' she said.   

In February, Foxx's office announced that she had decided to recuse herself because of the texts to Tina Tchen, a private attorney and Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, and one of Smollett's relatives. 

It was days before Smollett was charged and, at the time, she said she had taken the decision 'out of an abundance of caution'. 

'Out of an abundance of caution, the decision to recuse herself was made to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case ,' her spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said. 

But on Wednesday, as she faced questions over why a special prosecutor was never put in place and why her office suddenly decided to drop the charges against Smollett, Foxx's office confused the issue by saying she never actually recused herself.  

As such, she did nothing wrong by not appointing a special prosecutor, they said.

'[Foxx] did not formally recuse herself or the [State's Attorney] Office based on any actual conflict of interest.  

'As a result, she did not have to seek the appointment of a special prosecutor... it was a colloquial use of the term rather than in its legal sense,' Kiera Ellis, a different spokeswoman, said.  

These are the emails exchanged between Tina Tchen and Kim Foxx on February 1, days after the incident on January 29 when Smollett was still being considered the victim of a hate crime

Tchen put one of Smollett's relatives in touch with Foxx. Their texts are shown

The texts continued until mid February then Foxx recused herself 

Fraternal Order of Police president Kevin Graham said: 'There's text messages going back-and-forth between Foxx and Smollett's private attorney. 

'That's a real problem. 

'We asked for an investigation before because something didn't smell right. 

'Now, a judge sealed the court records so you can't even get a copy of the police investigation.'

The judge, Honorable Judge Stephen Gregory Watkins, did not ask Smollett's team why they wanted the case sealed on Tuesday. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has decried the outcome.

'This does not add up. They better get their story straight, this is making fools of us all,' he said. 

'He abused the city of Chicago, he committed a crime here. 

He lied about something,' he went on, adding that it was not just the state but also a grand jury who thought Smollett was guilty. 

'He said he wanted to get his name clear. Let's get to the bottom of this, let's find out what happened,' Emanuel said. 

Kim Foxx, the Cook County State's Attorney who recused herself over the Jussie Smollett probe, is pictured with Jesse Jackson on February 28. Jackson has revealed he contacted Smollett when he was 'in crisis' and offered him his 'council'. On Saturday and Monday, Smollett spent two days at Jackson's civil rights organization and it was that community service which led prosecutors to suddenly drop the charges against him 

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson (left) on Tuesday at a press conference to condemn the outcome of the Smollett case. Emanuel said Wednesday that the case had made 'fools of us all' as he demanded to know why the star suddenly had all 16 charges dropped on Tuesday after making a secret deal with prosecutors

MAYOR CONSIDERS SUING SMOLLETT FOR $150,000 SPENT ON INVESTIGATION 

Rahm Emanuel is considering suing Smollett for $150,000 to recover the cost of the investigation into the incident, it has been reported.

On Tuesday, Smollett paid $10,000 in bond forfeiture to the city and had his record expunged. 

Emanuel said the amount 'does not come close' to the resources that were spent looking into the January 29 incident he reported to police with his friend. 

CBS reports that he is considering going after Smollett for the remaining $140,000. 

Police spent several weeks combing through surveillance camera footage to try to hone in on Smollett's attackers. 

They also examined ride sharing records which led them to brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo.  

There are also abundant questions surrounding how Smollett was able to walk away from 16 felony charges with no criminal record, after paying just $10,000 and spending 16 hours performing community service at Rainbow PUSH, Jackson's civil rights organization, after months of scrutiny over the case. 

He was seen with Foxx, who gave him an award at the C.F. Stradford Awards, weeks ago.

It was a week after Smollett's arrested for allegedly staging a hoax hate crime and lying about it and Foxx had already recused herself from the case for exchanging text messages with a member of the star's family which police unions are now calling 'highly suspicious' in light of her office's about-turn on the charges.  

There were several award recipients that night who Foxx congratulated on Twitter. 

In her tribute to Reverend Jackson, she acknowledged his organization. 

'The Rev Jackson needs no introduction. As founder & president of the RP Coalition, he has worked tirelessly to expand educational, business & employment opportunities for disadvantaged and people of color in Chicago. 

'I'm so happy to honor him with this award tonight,' she wrote in a tweet along with a photograph of the pair. 

POLICE EVIDENCE IN SMOLLETT CASE

-Two letters with homophobic and racist slurs inside envelopes containing white powder addressed to Smollett and sent to the set of Empire on January 22 . A month later, police state that Smollett wrote these letters, but the FBI refuses to confirm.

-Surveillance footage taken throughout the city during the early hours of January 29, which shows Nigerian brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundair arriving to the area near Smollett's apartment around the time of the attack and then leaving, getting in a car and being dropped of near their apartment in Chicago.

-Smollett's subsequent interview with a detective on January 29 after his first statement to police early that morning after the attack. The actor said that he could not determine the race of his attackers when he first spoke to police, but then hours later stated that the men were white per court documents. 

-Two plane tickets to Nigeria for the brothers, who left the country the day of the incident. 

-The brothers are taken into custody on February 13, and over the next two days allege that Smollett paid them to stage an attack and sent the letters to himself on the set of Empire. They claim the attacks was an attempt by Smollett to get more money from Empire execs.

-Surveillance footage is released to the public on February 20 that shows the two brothers purchasing the rope and gloves police believe were used in the allegedly staged attack at a store ear their apartment on January 28. 

-A check for $3,5000 from Smollett to one of the brothers that police claim was for staging the attack but Smollett says was money for personal training. 

Smollett said in his statement that he would 'not be his mother's son' if he was capable of 'even a drop' of what he had been accused of.

He promised to continue to 'fight for the marginalized' in society and said he had been truthful 'on every single level since day one'. 

His lawyers refused to answer reporters' questions about whether Smollett would sue the city and admitted that Smollett had agreed to forfeit his bond in order to 'move on'. 

His lawyer, Patricia Brown Holmes, said that brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo were the ones who attacked Smollett but gave no explanation as to why they did it.  

The Fraternal Order of Police, which represents 8,000 cops, has already called for the Attorney General to investigate Foxx for her handling of the case because she tried to have it turned over to the FBI at the request of Smollett's family in the days after the attack. 

She was contacted by Tchen, Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, on February 1, on behalf of the Smollett family.

Tchen wanted her to convince Chicago PD to hand the investigation over to the FBI and Foxx agreed to try to.  

The case never went to the FBI and Chicago PD came down heavily on Smollett once he was arrested. 

Smollett was initially indicted by prosecutors with just one charge but a grand jury added another 15 on to it for every time he allegedly lied. 

The actor was accused of paying Abel and Ola to attack him on January 29 outside his apartment at around 2am as he walked home from a Subway. 

He claimed that he did not recognize the attackers but said they called him a 'f****t', n****r' and shouted: 'This is MAGA country!'  

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

EX-OBAMA ADVISER SLAMS DECISION 

A former adviser to Barack Obama has slammed the 'weird turn' in the Jussie Smollett case, calling it a 'total head-scratcher' after all charges were dropped against the actor. 

David Axelrod, 64, said 'someone wasn’t being truthful' and Chicago had paid the price in a series of tweets condemning the decision Tuesday. 

The former president's campaign mastermind labelled the decision 'outrageous' as he asked why the Empire actor, 36, was allowed 'to get off for $10K and have his records expunged and case files sealed'. 

Axelrod tweeted: 'Unless some better explanation surfaces, here’s the lesson of this weird turn in the Smollett case: 

'You can contrive a hate crime, make it a national news, get caught and-if you are a well-connected celebrity-get off for $10K and have your record expunged and files sealed.' 

For weeks, police insisted Smollett was still the victim but gradually, suspicion grew as details of the probe were leaked, including the fact that he had not agreed to hand over his phone for police to search. 

Eventually, on February 21, Smollett was arrested. 

In a blistering press conference, he was eviscerated by Chicago Police Superintendent Johnson who accused him of lying about the attack to leverage it to get a raise on Empire.

They even claimed he gave himself facial injuries to try to make the attack more believable. Smollett denied it angrily and posted bail but prosecutors were confident. 

They took the unusual step of publishing his full bond proffer which detailed all the evidence they said they had against him, including phone calls between him and the brothers before and after the attack. 

They also used a check he'd given them, purportedly for personal training, as apparent proof that he paid them for the attack. 

Smollett was excluded from the final two episodes of Empire as a result of the scandal. 

 20th Century Fox said it was 'gratified' that he had been cleared. 

'Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified that all charges against him have been dismissed,' a spokesman said.    

The brothers are who told police that he paid them to stage the attack, but police insisted vociferously to have other evidence that backed up their claim. 

Smollett had been facing up to 48 years behind bars on 16 felony counts of lying to police by claiming he was attacked on January 29 by two men he said he could not identify and who he said called him racial and homophobic slurs. 

The FBI will also continue investigating a threatening letter that Smollett received at the studio in Chicago where Empire is filmed on January 22, just days before he was attacked. 

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/smirking-jussie-smollett-quits-chicago-as-fbi-reviews-why-the-charges-against-him-were-dropped/
Main photo article A smirking Jussie Smollett quit Chicago Wednesday leaving behind a city at war over the decision to drop all charges against him. 
The FBI is now reviewing the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of all 16 criminal charges against the actor, with two law enforcement officials reportedly co...

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 Online news HienaLouca





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