The case of actor Jussie Smollett’s alleged fake hate crime attack is not over just yet, as a special prosecutor has been ordered to investigate the state attorney’s handling of it.
In March, Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx dropped all charges against Smollett after cutting a deal that saw him forfeit his bond as well as agree to serve community service hours.
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Now, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Michael Toomin has ruled that Foxx’s decision should be investigated further, per NBC News.
“The unprecedented irregularities identified in this case warrants the appointment of independent counsel to restore the public’s confidence in the integrity of our criminal justice system,” Toomin wrote in his ruling.
Back in January, Smollett claimed that he was violently attacked by a group of white men who were supporters of President Donald Trump. He claimed that attack was motivated by race and homophobia, as Smollett is a gay black man.
After investigating, Chicago police claimed that they believed Smollett fabricated the attack by paying two other men to help. He was subsequently charged with filing a false police report, and taken into police custody.
Following the charges later being dropped, Smollett’s lawyers released a statement, saying, “Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by 2 people he was unable to identify on January 29th.”
“He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment,” the statement continued.
“Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result,” the statement concluded.
Officials with the Chicago police department were not pleased with this outcome, and issued their own response, with Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson telling reporters, “So listen, I’m sure we all know what occurred this morning. My personal opinion is that you all know where I stand in this. Do I think justice was served? No. I think this city is still owed an apology.”
“If someone accused me of doing anything that would circumvent that, then I would want my day in court. Period. I’ve heard that they [Smollett legal team] wanted their day in court with TV cameras so America could know the truth. But no, they chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system,” he continued.
“My job as a police officer is to investigate an incident, gather evidence, gather the facts and present them to the State’s Attorney. That’s what we did. I stand behind the detective’s investigation,” Johnson added.
In the wake of his controversial legal trouble, Smollett was let go from Empire, the FOX drama he had been a main cast member on.
