Attorneys for Empire actor Jussie Smollett said Tuesday that charges alleging he filed a false report with Chicago police about a hate crime against himself have been dropped. The announcement comes after the president of the Chicago police union accused the county’s top prosecutor of interfering with the investigation of the Smollett before recusing herself from the case.
Earlier March, WLS-TV in Chicago reported that Fraternal Order of Police President Kevin Graham wrote the Justice Department following reports that Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx asked Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to let the FBI investigate Smollett’s allegations that he was attacked by two masked men after Tina Tchen, the former chief of staff to former first lady Michelle Obama informed Foxx that Smollett’s family had concerns about the probe.
The police kept the investigation and Foxx recused herself. Her office charged Smollett with lying to police.
Smollett lawyers, Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes, said Tuesday morning that the actor’s record “has been wiped clean.” Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts related to making a false report that he was attacked by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs in downtown Chicago on January 29. Police and prosecutors have said the black and gay actor falsely reported to authorities that he was attacked because he was unhappy with his pay on the Fox show and to promote his career.
This story is developing. Check Breitbart News for more updates.