Outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel weighed-in Tuesday on his city’s decision to abandon 16 felony charges against ‘Empire’ star Jussie Smollett; calling the move an obvious “whitewash of justice.”
“This is a whitewash of justice. A grand jury could not have been clearer… Where is the accountability in the system? You can’t have -because of one person’s position- one set of rules apply to them and another set of rules apply to everybody else,” said the mayor.
"This is a whitewash of justice," @ChicagosMayor says of Jussie Smollett's charges being dropped. "A grand jury could not have been clearer. Where is the accountability in the system?" pic.twitter.com/jBsrh5skTr
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 26, 2019
City prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges against Smollett weeks after he was indicted for allegedly staging a “hate crime” and filing a false police report regarding the incident.
BREAKING: Prosecutors Drop ALL CHARGES Against ‘Empire’ Star Jussie Smollett
Prosecutors in Chicago dropped all charges against ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett Tuesday morning; ending all proceedings over allegations he intentionally staged a “hate crime” just months ago.
“Calling himself a man of faith ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett said Tuesday that he felt vindicated after the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said it would drop all charges against him,” reports Fox News.
“Not for a moment was it in vain. I’ve been truthful and consistent on every level since day one,” he said. “I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I was accused of. “
“It’s unclear at this time why the court decided not to proceed with prosecution, but the former ‘Empire’ star is expected to give a statement after he leaves the courthouse later today,” adds Fox.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
SMOLLETT’S STATEMENT: Lawyer Says Actor ‘Betrayed’ by Legal System Seeking to ‘Skip Due Process’
The legal team representing ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett released an official statement Thursday evening; saying the celebrity was “betrayed” by the legal system that orchestrated a “law enforcement spectacle.”
“Mr. Smollet is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing,” read the statement.
“Today we witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system,” the statement added. “The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a Mayoral election,” it added.
Smollett was taken into custody Thursday morning and charged with filing a false police report regarding an alleged hate-crime hoax.
Read the full report here.