Some Cook County employees have received "inappropriate" phone calls concerning the Jussie Smollett case after all charges were dropped against the "Empire" actor this week, an internal memo revealed.
The memo from Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Dorothy Brown, obtained by NBC News, claims "some Criminal Bureau employees have received threatening and abusive phone calls" about the case.
The letter offers advice to employees should they receive such calls, including reporting the calls to Labor Relations, which will "report the caller to the appropriate authorities."
"The safety of all employees is of utmost importance to me, so please be very cautious of your surroundings at all times," Brown wrote in the memo. "I intend to do whatever I reasonable can to prevent such abusive situations and extend my gratitude to you for all of your hard work."
The office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the memo.
Cook County prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all of the charges against Smollett, who was accused of lying to police about being the victim of a homophobic and racist attack in downtown Chicago on Jan. 29.
A city official says Chicago is seeking $130,000 from "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett to cover the costs of the investigation into his reported beating, which police say was staged.
Emanuel and the police department blasted the decision to drop the charges, saying they stand by their belief that Smollett hired two friends to help him stage the attack because he was unhappy about his salary and wanted publicity.
A representative for Smollett's legal team said "it is the mayor and the police chief who owe Jussie - owe him an apology - for dragging an innocent man’s character through the mud. Jussie has paid enough."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice will review the case, President Donald Trump claimed in a tweet Thursday. Both the FBI and the Department of Justice declined to comment on the case Thursday morning, according to NBC News.
