Report details 'major failure' in Foxx's office's handling of first Smollett case
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and her top deputies repeatedly made procedural and ethical missteps as they mishandled the Jussie Smollett case, and then tried to mislead the public as the office struggled to respond to outrage over the decision to dismiss charges against the "Empire" actor, according to Special Prosecutor Dan Webb's full report.
Webb, who earlier this month led the prosecution team that saw Smollett convicted of lying to Chicago police about staging a 2019 hate crime, found no evidence of criminal conduct or influence peddling behind the controversial non-prosecution deal extended to the actor just weeks after his arrest.
But in the more than 60 pages summarizing interviews with current and former state's attorney's staff members and 100,000 pages of documents, Webb also offered little to explain how such a high-profile case nearly ended with the star's getting off with an unprecedented light slap on the wrist.
When interviewed by Webb's team, Foxx told investigators she herself was surprised by the deal made by her prosecutors and that Smollett was not going to be required to admit guilt or do community service after the charges were dropped.
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