All charges dropped !!!

[ben4372]

He had same attorney as Micheal Jackson had in the 90's. Mark Geragos is who I'd want if I could afford him.

[FoxtArt]

The problem with letting people off is that it teaches our youth that you can lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead and that is an okay thing to do in this country. Especially if it gets you rich enough to get off and not pay for your crimes.

But on the flip side, do you want our youth having a realistic understanding of our justice system, or would you rather they have an innocent, entirely false perspective, one that they run to it with expectations of justice only to THEN find out when it's got them bent over a table?

Every society has varying levels of corruption, including America. The only difference here is we indoctrinate children to make them think their shit doesn't stink.

[Irving]

I think discussing a corrupt justice system is a different conversation altogether, and it would be nice if very public figures face some sort of penalty for breaking laws to the detriment of society. If this didn't spark a huge media outcry and false narrative because a famous person trolled people, then it wouldn't be as big of a deal. Without the media coverage and further racial wedge between people, this just boils down to a dude paying someone to beat him up and then failing to get what he wanted. That is was made so public is the issue, IMO.

[jslo]

He had same attorney as Micheal Jackson had in the 90's. Mark Geragos is who I'd want if I could afford him.

Except, it appears, Geragos has gotten himself into some legal trouble himself and might not be available. Co-conspirator, with Avinatti in an extortion charge against Nike.

[ben4372]

Except, it appears, Geragos has gotten himself into some legal trouble himself and might not be available. Co-conspirator, with Avinatti in an extortion charge against Nike.

When you lie with dogs.....

[hollohas]

Ha!

The judge indicated that the case would be sealed but didn't do it fast enough! The PD beat them to the punch and released the documents to the public prior to them being sealed. That Chicago PD Superintendent has balls! Good for him!

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-...e-sealed-judge

[FoxtArt]

Former chief of staff of Michelle Obama contacted the State AG in an attempt to influence the AG, based on that link. I have no way to verify that. Left leaning fact-check states no relation to Harris, which I agree it is very likely there is no relation (always distrust most what you WISH was true) most rumors like that are beyond a stretch.

Still, I am curious to see why the COS of Michelle is tangled in this. I suspect it has nothing to do with the Obamas at all, but simply a personal connection the COS has with the family in which the COS is trying to leverage all of her political power (including that she is connected to the Obamas) to get Smellit off the hook.

ETA: And if true, the actions of the COS imho should warrant federal investigation. It may not be as important as murders, but public trust in the judicial system / defending corruption in my mind should be priority #1. Buuuuut it's not going to happen. You Ese! You Ese! You Ese!

[davsel]

Facing an FBI and DoJ investigation of Smollett case, Kim Foxx is panicking and changing her story

By Thomas Lifson
The fate of the higher-ups who pulled the strongs to get Jussie Smollett off the hook is now in the hands of a dummy who is panicking.

The venerable political machine that runs the most corrupt big city in America, the very city whose gave us the presidency of Barack Obama, is erupting in a political civil war over a case that has riveted the attention of the public. What makes this story a beacon of hope for reform-minded populists is that the fate of the rascals is now in the hands of an incompetent public official who has outraged the public with obvious corruption of justice, and who is now panicking and making huge mistakes because the walls are starting to close in on her.

Foxx also had claimed that she had recused herself, but evidently did not bother with the paperwork necessary for such a recusal. Now that an FBI and DoJ investigation is in prospect she and her underlings are scrambling to explain away the lie: Megan Crepeau of the Chicago Tribune explains the mess Foxx has created for herself:

Illinois law allows for a state?s attorney to ?file a petition to recuse himself or herself from a cause or proceeding for any other reason he or she deems appropriate.? If the petition is granted, the law calls for the judge to appoint a special prosecutor either through the attorney general?s office, another county prosecutor?s office or a private attorney.

But Foxx, who stepped away from the Smollett case before charges were ever filed, didn?t file a recusal petition or remove her office from the investigation. Instead, she handed the responsibility for the case to her first assistant, Joseph Magats, a 29-year veteran of the office.

After questions arose this week whether she had followed state law, Foxx?s office appeared to back off whether she ever officially recused herself in the first place.

While the term ?recusal ? was used when it was announced she was stepping away from the Smollett case, a Foxx spokeswoman said, ?it was a colloquial use of the term rather than in its legal sense.?

?The state?s attorney did not formally recuse herself or the office based on any actual conflict of interest,? Tandra Simonton said in a statement. ?As a result, she did not have to seek the appointment of a special prosecutor under (state law).?

An internal memo sent on Feb. 13 by Foxx's chief ethics officer, April Perry, however, did not describe the move as colloquial at all. Instead, Perry sent a two-sentence email informing staff that Foxx "is recused" from the Smollett investigation. It did not say why.

An internal email from the office of Cook County State?s Attorney Kim Foxx,obtained by Fox News on Wednesday, asked assistant state's attorneys to dig for any examples to bolster Foxx?s claim that the dropped charges in the Jussie Smollett case weren?t as uncommon or shocking as they seemed.

The email read in part, ?We are looking for examples of cases, felony preferable, where we, in (exercising) our discretion, have entered into verbal agreements with defense attorneys to dismiss charges against an offender if certain conditions were met...?

The email added, ?Nobody is in trouble, we are just looking for further examples of how we, as prosecutors, use our discretion in a way that restores the victim??

It was not clear who sent it, and exactly when it was sent.

The National District Attorneys Association, which claims to represent roughly 2,700 prosecutors? offices around the country, heavily criticized Foxx in a statement to Fox News.

?First, when a chief prosecutor recuses him or herself, the recusal must apply to the entire office, not just the elected or appointed prosecutor. This is consistent with best practices for prosecutors? offices around the country,? the statement began.

It added, ?Second, prosecutors should not take advice from politically connected friends of the accused. Each case should be approached with the goal of justice for victims while protecting the rights of the defendant. Third, when a prosecutor seeks to resolve a case through diversion or some other alternative to prosecution, it should be done so with an acknowledgement of culpability on the part of the defendant. A case with the consequential effects of Mr. Smollett?s should not be resolved without a finding of guilt or innocence.?

The statement concluded: ?Fourth, expunging Mr. Smollett?s record at this immediate stage is counter to transparency. Law enforcement will now not be able to acknowledge that Mr. Smollett was indicted and charged with these horrible crimes and the full record of what occurred will be forever hidden from public view. Finally, we believe strongly that hate crimes should be prosecuted vigorously but the burden of proof should not be artificially increased due to the misguided decisions of others.?

[brutal]

It added, ?Second, prosecutors should not take advice from politically connected friends of the accused. Each case should be approached with the goal of justice for victims while protecting the rights of the defendant. Third, when a prosecutor seeks to resolve a case through diversion or some other alternative to prosecution, it should be done so with an acknowledgement of culpability on the part of the defendant. A case with the consequential effects of Mr. Smollett?s should not be resolved without a finding of guilt or innocence.?

The statement concluded: ?Fourth, expunging Mr. Smollett?s record at this immediate stage is counter to transparency. Law enforcement will now not be able to acknowledge that Mr. Smollett was indicted and charged with these horrible crimes and the full record of what occurred will be forever hidden from public view. Finally, we believe strongly that hate crimes should be prosecuted vigorously but the burden of proof should not be artificially increased due to the misguided decisions of others.?

This is the most egregious part, that he did not admit any responsibility and furthermore claimed his innocence, and that the case records were sealed.

[DenverGP]

Yup... here's a damn clue: if you get some kind of behind the scenes sweetheart deal, don't keep talking shit about how innocent you are....