In a stunning development Cook County Asst. State Attorney Joseph Magats decided to drop all charges against Jussie Smollett for perpetrating a hate hoax crime.
All of the investigative evidence is solid; all of the evidence that proves Jussie Smollett did perpetrate the hoax is solid; and the police are angry with State Attorney Magats.
It appears the Asst. State Attorney felt the crime was not really that big a deal. As TMZ noted: “You’ll recall State’s Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself from the case. She reportedly had asked cops to stand down at the behest of Tina Tchen – Michelle Obama’s former Chief of Staff and a friend of Jussie’s family. The conflict forced Foxx to bow out. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office tells us the decision to drop all charges against Jussie was made by Asst. State Attorney Joseph Magats”.
Joseph Magats, the Asst. State’s Attorney, said he saw no problems with the police investigation or the evidence against Smollett. The charges against Smollett were simply dropped in return for his agreement to do community service, and for forfeiting his bond to the city of Chicago.
Upon making the decision to drop the charges, asst. state attorney Joseph Magats also said: “Here’s the thing – we work to prioritize violent crime and the drivers of violent crime. Public safety is our number one priority. I don’t see Jussie Smollett as a threat to public safety.”
Magats went on to say, “We stand behind the investigation, we stand behind the decision to charge him and we stand behind the charges in the case. The mere fact that it was disposed of in an alternative manner does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities in the case or the evidence.”
"Do you believe that he is innocent?" CBS reporter @adrianasdiaz asks First Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Joseph Magats about dropping charges against Jussie Smollett. "I do not believe he is innocent," Magats responds. pic.twitter.com/NEWZuD2aBe
— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) March 26, 2019
The decision to drop charges is fully, and specifically, upon the Cook County Asst. State Attorney Joseph Magats. The reasoning is transparently political. Smollett is connected to important Democrats and people within the party apparatus.
Magats’ position is predictable; the Asst. State Attorney for Cook county will claim if he took the Smollett case to it’s conclusion the sentence would likely be community service as punishment. Well, Jussie Smollett will still do the community service, but will not have the conviction… that’s the deal. Two-tiered justice.
This decision is so corrupt and so obviously politically connected, that even Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel cannot stand behind it. WATCH:
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Chicago police detective tells @FoxNews “We have a lot more evidence than we told the media about and we were fully prepared to go to trial. We’re very angry this happened.” #JussieSmollett
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) March 26, 2019
PS, In my humble opinion, the Smollett hate crime was planned as part of the Kamala Harris presidential candidacy rollout. Jussie Smollett just did a terrible job at pulling it off and the entire operation went sideways.
I’m so excited that @KamalaHarris has decided to run for president. I would not be where I am today without her guidance during my first run for political office, and she has continued to mentor me as I work to reform the criminal justice system in Cook County. —KF pic.twitter.com/O241FGKKMs
— Kim Foxx (@KimFoxx) January 21, 2019