Chicago's Mayor condemned his city's prosecutor's decision to drop the charges against Jussie Smollett on Tuesday as a 'whitewash of justice' and condemned the Empire actor who he insists is guilty after he was dropped of the charges and protested his innocence.
Rahm Emanuel spoke at a press conference with Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson where the pair told of their shock and dismay at the State's Attorney's decision to drop all the charges against Smollett.
They said they were stunned to learn about it at the same time as the media and suggested that Smollett - who they insist is guilty - was treated differently because he is a star.
The Cook County's State's Attorney's Office said that it prioritized 'violent crime' and that Smollett's alleged wrongdoing did not fall into that category but warned that the decision to drop the charges did not exonerate him.
Rahm Emanuel joined Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson (left) on Tuesday at a press conference to condemn the outcome of the Jussie Smollett case
Jussie Smollett said on Tuesday that he had never lied to police as he thanked fans for their support after having the charges dropped against him
'We did not exonerate him. 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,' Joe Magats, Assistant State's Attorney, told https://twitter.com/juliebosman/status/1110591523794632704
Smollett had been facing up to 48 years behind bars on 16 felony counts of lying to police by claiming he was attacked on January 29 by two men he said he could not identify and who he said called him racial and homophobic slurs.
On Tuesday, an emergency hearing was scheduled during which the charges were suddenly dropped. Smollett agreed to surrender his $10,000 bond but walked out of court a free man.
There is no doubt that brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo attacked S but so far, no other motive other than that Smollett asked them to and paid them to do it has emerged.
The question of why prosecutors who had boasted about their evidence against him suddenly dropped the case remains.
In his statement on Tuesday, Smollett gave no other explanation for the attack - which his personal trainers carried out on him - but said he had been truthful all along in his claims that he did not recognize them when they jumped him.
'I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and world who have prayed for me, supported me and shown me love.
'No one will ever know how much that has meant to me. Not for a moment was it in vain,' he said.
Smollett read from a small piece of paper which had handwritten notes on it
Smollett walks past a bank of photographers, adjusting his sunglasses, before leaving the court with his laeyers
After making his statement, Smollett took selfies with fans outside the courthouse then got into a waiting car.
He refused to say whether he planned to fight against Chicago Police Department or the prosecutor's office for accusing him of staging the January 29 attack, but said he would continue to 'fight for justice' and for the 'marginalized' people of the world.
'Hey everybody,
'I just made a couple of notes. First of all I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and world who have prayed for me, who have supported me and who have shown me so much love. No one will ever know how much that has meant to me. I want you to know that not for a moment was it in vain.
'I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. I would not be my mother's son if I was capable of even one drop of what I have been accused of.
'This has been an incredibly difficult time, honestly one of the worst of my entire life. But I am a man of faith and I am a man that has knowledge of my history.
'I would not bring my family, our lives or the movement through a fire like this. I just wouldn't.
'I want to thank my legal counsel from the bottom of my heart, and I would also like to thank the state of Illinois for attempting to do what's right. I would like nothing more than to just get back to work and move on with my life but make no mistakes, I will always continue to fight for the justice, equality and betterment of marginalized people everywhere.
'So again, thank you for all the support. Thank you to faith and thank you to God.
'Bless y'all. Thank you very much.'
It remains unclear what prompted the decision but the Cook County's State's Attorney's office said it was due in part to Smollett's 'volunteer service in the community.'
It emerged on Tuesday as;
The Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson is 'furious' about the decision He was unaware of it and learned about it during a police academy graduation ceremony on Tuesday The police union is calling for an investigation into Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly Foxx Foxx recused herself for exchanging text messages with one of Smollett's relatives before he was charged She was trying to get the case taken over by the FBI at the request of his family and Michelle Obama's former chief of staffOn Tuesday morning, a spokesman told DailyMail.com it was confident in the police investigation into him and still satisfied with its decision to bring charges but would not say why then he was not being prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
'After reviewing all of the facts and circumstanced of the case, including Mr. Smollett's volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,' they said.
Police chiefs, who eviscerated the star when arresting him last month, are 'furious' about the decision and say they were not consulted.
They have called for an Attorney General probe into how State's Attorney Kim Foxx was exchanging text messages with a member of the Smollett family in the days after the attack, trying to get the investigation taken over by the FBI at their request.
Smollett said in his statement that he would 'not be his mother's son' if he was capable of 'even a drop' of what he had been accused of.
His lawyers refused to answer reporters' questions about whether Smollett would sue the city and admitted that Smollett had agreed to forfeit his bond in order to 'move on'.
She said that brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo were the ones who attacked Smollett but gave no explanation as to why they did it.
There was confusion over whether or not the decision was part of a deal.
Smollett's attorneys insisted that it was not but admitted he had agreed to pay the $10,000 bond forfeiture in order to move in with his life.
The decision to drop the case comes after the Cook County's State's Attorney, Kim Foxx, recused herself over her contact with a member of Smollett's family in the hours after the attack.
Chicago Police chiefs, who were confident in their evidence against Smollett, are 'furious' about the decision, according to sources cited by local media.
Smollett took selfies with fans outside the court before getting in to a waiting car
Tina Tchen, Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, worked on behalf of the Smollett family to have the case turned over to the FBI
They have already called for the Attorney General to investigate Foxx for her handling of the case because she tried to have it turned over to the FBI at the request of Smollett's family in the days after the attack.
She was contacted by Tina Tchen, Michelle Obama's former chief of staff, on February 1, on behalf of the Smollett family.
Tchen wanted her to convince Chicago PD to hand the investigation over to the FBI and Foxx agreed to try to.
She then exchanged text messages with an unnamed relative of Smollett's about it who said: 'OMG this would be a huge victory.'
On Tuesday, Smollett's family welcomed the news and said they were 'looking forward to bringing the real perpetrators to justice.'
'Our son and brother is an innocent man whose name and character has been (sic) unjustly smeared. Jussie is a son, a brother, a partner, a champion for human rights, and a genuine soul who would never be capable of what he was falsely accused of.
'He was the victim of an assault and then falsely blamed for his own attack. This morning the truth has prevailed and he has been vindicated.
'All charges have been dismissed and his record expunged. The painful incidents we've witnessed him endure over the past 7 weeks have been heartbreaking and unjust to say the least.
'While many were quick to rush to judgement before hearing the actual truth, we are grateful that the truth about Jussie has come to light.
'We look forward to bringing the real perpetrators to justice. We thank God and our village for standing by us during this trying time,' their statement said.
The case never went to the FBI and Chicago PD came down heavily on Smollett once he was arrested.
Abel and Ola Osundairo's lawyers said on Wednesday night that they 'manned up' by telling police that Smollett paid them
Smollett was initially indicted by prosecutors with just one charge but a grand jury added
