Jussie Smollett’s attorney issued a statement blasting a report issued by Special Prosecutor Dan Webb Monday, calling it a “blatant attempt” to take down Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and to smear his client.
In the statement, attorney Mark Geragos said that his client is being “used as a pawn,” and that the report also validated the dismissal of charges against Smollett.
“This so-called ‘report’ on Kim Foxx and the timing of the recharging of Jussie reveals the real political electoral motivation of Dan Webb and his cohorts,” Geragos said. “It’s a blatant attempt to take down a Black, progressive, female prosecutor who does not fit within the white power structure. Jussie, a Black, gay man who maintains his innocence, continues to be used as a pawn.
“Today’s report confirms what the defense has said all along: there was no wrongdoing or undue influence by Jussie or the defense in the dismissal of all charges against him and the second wave of charges is a blatant constitutional violation,” he added.
The report, released Monday, said that Foxx and members of her office abused their discretion in their case against Smollett, but that their actions were not criminal.
In a statement, Webb sharply criticized the handling of the Smollett case by Foxx and her assistant prosecutors, saying their handling was marked by disarray and misleading statements.
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In March 2019, Foxx’s office shocked residents and observers by dropping charges that accused the former “Empire” actor of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself. Smollett is still adamant that the attack was real and wasn’t a publicity hoax.
Webb, in his role as special prosecutor, restored charges against Smollett in February. When those charges were filed, Webb said that dropping the charges initially had been unjustified, saying that it was a questionable action because of the evidence against the actor and because Smollett was not required to admit that the attack was a hoax in order to have the charges dropped.
Webb’s inquiry also examined whether Foxx acted improperly by speaking to a Smollett relative and a one-time aide of former first lady Michelle Obama before the charges were dropped.
The inquiry found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Foxx or anyone else in her office.
“As the report unequivocally confirms, State’s Attorney Foxx was not involved in the decision-making process regarding the Jussie Smollett case at any point and there was no outside influence on that process,” Foxx’s office said in a statement.
