A special attorney general in Illinois appointed to investigate the case Jussie Smollett said Monday he has “found substantial abuse of discretion and operational failures” by Cook County officials who are prosecuting the original prosecutors against the former Rich star.
Dan Webb, the Cook County Special Prosecutor, said in a news release that his investigation had not uncovered any evidence that legitimate criminal charges were brought against State Attorney Kimberly Foxx or her colleagues. But he blamed her office for a “major failure” over her shock decision in March 2019 to lay charges against Smollett.
Webb also said Foxx made numerous false or misleading public statements in the wake of the decision to indict criminal prosecutors against the actor, who faces more than a dozen crimes for allegedly submitting a false police report in which he claimed to be the victim of a hate crime.
In February, Webb filed six new counts of aggravated assault against Smollett, saying that “further prosecution … is in the interest of justice.” That case is still pending.
The actor, who is black and gay, originally submitted a police report in January 2019 claiming that he was attacked in the middle of the night by two men writing MAGA-singing and anti-gay slurps, a rope wrapped around his neck and put a chemical substance on him.
But authorities said the actor actually paid two brothers to stage the attack to draw publicity he could use during his salary negotiations over Rich.
Smollett denied that he produced the incident.
He was required to complete 15 hours of community service and forgive a $ 10,000 bond as part of the decision to drop the original prosecutors against him.
But Webb said the original dismissal “surprised” and “shocked” many Cook County officials he interviewed, especially given that prosecutors did not learn new information in the period between when they originally accused Smollett and when ‘ t se her case delfalle.
Webb also said Foxx continued to communicate with Smollett’s sister, Jurnee, via phone calls and text messages after learning that the actor was no longer being investigated as a victim, but rather as a suspect.
Still, Webb said he found no evidence of criminal conduct, such as bribery or obstruction of justice, discovered by the Cook County State Attorney’s Office. He also found no evidence that Foxx was wrongly swayed or influenced by its third parties.
Not all of the evidence from Webb’s investigation could be released, he said, because parts were drawn from material of grand jury that is still under seal. Webb said he would file a motion Monday to release this information to further restore public confidence in the justice system.
