An attorney in the Cook County prosecutor’s office allegedly criticized State’s Attorney Kim Foxx over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case and for insinuating that the criticism she’s faced since dropping the charges has to do with her race.
The reported pushback came through an anonymous letter that was published by CWB Chicago on Monday. The criticism in the letter comes a day after Foxx claimed race played a role in the criticism she’s faced during her Saturday speech at the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.’s Rainbow Push Coalition.
“Blaming Jussie Smollett fallout on race? That is just ignorant and self-serving,” the letter reads. “It is a complete bastardization of a bona fide movement against acts of racism, which, as a society we should obviously not tolerate. Much like Jussie Smollett’s acts bastardized a bona fide movement against hate crimes.” (RELATED: Fraternal Order Of Police Protests Outside Kim Foxx’s Office)
Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Leighton Criminal Court Building after attending a hearing on whether cameras will be allowed in future proceedings of his trial on felony charges, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski
It continued:
The anticipated outcome was a reduced sentence, a misdemeanor with some community service or restitution. This would have been done on the record, on a regularly scheduled court date, with the Chicago Police being notified, since they are the “victim” in a disorderly conduct of this nature.
This case was handled markedly different from any other case at 26th Street. No one knows why, and more importantly, no one can explain why our boss, the head prosecutor of all of Cook County, has decided to so demean and debase both our hard work, and our already tenuous relationship with the Chicago Police Department. Just to be clear – this is not an attack on Ms. Foxx’s race, it is an attack on her ethics and her efficacy as State’s Attorney.
Prosecutors unexpectedly dropped 16 felony charges against Smollett on March 26 despite the findings of a Chicago police investigation that alleged the actor staged a hate crime hoax against himself. He claimed that two men attacked him in the middle of the night, poured a bleach-like substance on him and supposedly put a noose around his neck. (RELATED: Smollett Case Was Inadvertently Sealed, State Attorney Says)
Foxx has adamantly stood by her decision to drop the charges and has welcomed an independent investigation. Despite that, Chicago’s police union and a group of suburban chiefs demanded her resignation last week.