Prosecutor Drops All Charges Against Smollett
Kimberly Foxx, the first African-American woman to serve as Cook County state’s attorney in Chicago, found herself under fire Tuesday after her office suddenly dropped all charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.
The prosecutor who dropped the charges against Smollett said he still believes the actor lied to the police about the racist and homophobic attack he allegedly staged in Chicago in January.
However, the decision to drop the charges does not mean the actor was innocent or any new evidence was presented, Joe Magats, the first assistant state’s attorney in Cook County, told CNN affiliate WLS.
“We believe he did what he was charged with doing,” Magats said. “This was not an exoneration. To say he was exonerated by us or anyone else is not true.”
Magats also added that charges have been dropped in thousands of cases before, but because of Smollett’s celebrity status, his in particular got scrutinized.
For the charges to be dropped, Smollett had to forfeit $10,000 bond and perform a total of 16 hours of volunteer service Saturday and Monday for the Rainbow Push Coalition, which was founded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
After the charges were formally dropped, Smollett told reporters he was thankful to everyone who stood by him.
“I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since Day One,” Smollett said. “I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I’ve been accused of.”
By: Maytinee Kramer
