Kim Foxx, the Cook County, Illinois State Attorney, has been thrust into the headlines after her decision to drop all 16 charges against Empire star Jussie Smollett who was accused of staging his own hate crime in Chicago back in January 2019.
“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,” a statement from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office read, via the Hollywood Reporter.
The decision by Foxx to drop the charges has raised a lot of eyebrows and led to some heavy criticism.
Just one week ago, the Chicago Police Union called for a federal investigation into Foxx’s handling of the Smollett case. The request was due to Foxx exchanging text messages and emails with relatives and a supporter of Smollett, who was Michelle Obama’s former Chief of Staff, according to the Chicago Tribune.
To add to the concerns, Foxx initially recused herself from the case but ultimately made the decision to drop the charges. As you can expect, social media is claiming corruption.
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1110564825887838208
https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1110566982573686784
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The Chicago Police Department is reportedly “furious” at Foxx’s decision to drop the charges.
https://twitter.com/RaferWeigel/status/1110567463949877249
It will be interesting to see how this continues to develop. As for Smollett, he is not completely out of the clear because he remains under federal investigation. The federal investigation centers around a suspicious letter filled with powder that was mailed to the building where Empire films.
Who Is Kim Foxx?
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Kim Foxx, born April 1972 in Chicago, Illinois, is the State’s Attorney for Cook County, Illinois which is the nation’s second largest prosecutor’s office. She became the second African American to hold the position after being elected on November 8, 2016.
Fox earned her undergraduate and law degree from Southern Illinois University.
The 46-year-old previously served as chief of staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County.
